The Lobby of the Worship Center is home to a wide array of activities on Sunday mornings – friends and family greeting one another and discussing the week, donation drives of school supplies or sanitary kits, tables selling books or covered with informational pamphlets on ministries looking for volunteers, and the walls are often covered in artwork from members of our congregation. One ministry that finds a home there on Sundays is Crafts for a Cause, whose table – covered in homemade cards, jewelry, and any number of crocheted or embroidered goods – can be found by door #6 with friendly volunteers waiting to greet you.
Crafts for a Cause partners with our Global Outreach Department, sending proceeds from their sales to World Relief Cambodia, whose projects serve predominantly women and children – many single mothers, many who are HIV positive and lacking adequate medical resources.
While the ministry has been blessed with committed and generous volunteers, Crafts for a Cause took a hit last year when four regular volunteers relocated out of the area – they were especially concerned knowing their ministry had comprised a significant amount of the overall church’s support of World Relief Cambodia. Around this time, the ministry was asked to help replace puppets that were used as teaching aids in Cambodia – without even consulting the patterns, Crafts for a Cause agreed to do it.
Then reality set in – the patterns turned out to be incredibly complex, they were understaffed, and they had a limited time frame to make 20 puppets. Then Sue Schmuckler came along – a former home economics teacher who enjoyed sewing for her family, she heard about the puppet project and offered her help. The pattern was difficult even for her, but ministry fell back on the words of Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” Sue took the difficult to follow, abstract pattern, and created a sample puppet she used to teach the other volunteers.
Even though the pattern was now slowly coming together, the ministry still needed more hands to assemble the remaining puppets. Because God worked in the hearts of 32 members of the Women’s Morning Break Bible Study, the number of Crafts for a Cause volunteers nearly quadrupled for this project – and they were able to complete even more puppets than were originally requested of them.
The ministry team was reminded that God always provides for us, and that when we face difficulties we need only rely on him and meditate on His word. Some of those MB volunteers have stayed on with the ministry, and Crafts for a Cause is excited about their new volunteers and their ministry moving forward.
If you would like learn more about the ministry or support them by buying some of their goods, visit their table outside door #6 of the Worship Center on Sunday mornings, or find them at the Morning Break Bible Study during the week. They are eager to connect with you, and are always looking for more volunteers!
For more information about this ministry, please contact Gene or Tilly Daniels at .