Church makes prayer bears for needy children
Published: June 18, 2007
For a church that’s involved in mission work, it seemed a natural extension for its Vacation Bible School to carry the same philosophy.
That’s why the children of the Vacation Bible School operated by St. Peter’s Church in Uniontown recently made Prayer Bears - cute, cuddly and colorful stuffed animals just waiting to be loved by a child. With the help of volunteers, the church plans to make about 1,100 Prayer Bears by the time the project is completed.
“It’s a really nice thing to do because it helps kids learn about God and how good he is to us,” said Rachel Dileo, 11.
Debra Rhodes, director, said the Vacation Bible School has done mission projects since starting in 1999, but last year, they began doing projects on a big scale.
“Usually every child made one item or a group made an item. But last year, we made Friendship Blankets,” Rhodes said, later showing off a couple of these no-sew, fleece blankets that say “Jesus Loves Me.”
“It started with my VBS crew saying we can make more than the 13 we’re supposed to. We had the idea of doing 450 but we went to the congregation and the community for donations,” Rhodes said. “The congregation and community gave us support.”
So between the Vacation Bible School youths, volunteers and the congregation, St. Peter’s Church produced 450 Friendship Blankets in 2006. Rhodes is proud of this accomplishment coming “from a church the size of ours. Our attendance between two services is between 90 and 100. We usually have six to eight kids in Sunday school but our Vacation Bible School enrollment is 87. We have 65 today but we’ll have more towards the end of the week.”
Rhodes spoke Wednesday during the recent Vacation Bible School called “Avalanche Ranch: A Wild Ride Through God’s Word” on the night the youths were making the Prayer Bears.
Each child was to make one to keep and one to give to another child. They worked diligently in the basement in a section decorated to look like a general store in a Western town. Their table was covered with a black-and-white Holstein-looking tablecloth. The children stood around the table as they worked with green and purple fabrics that said “Jesus” cut into bear shapes. They filled them with stuffing and placed a heart-shaped paper in a pocket on the tummy with a special note. They place the bears in a barrel when finished.
Over the summer, children and other volunteers will make the remaining bears.
Last year’s Friendship Blankets were distributed to local children through Fayette County Children and Youth Services and Domestic Violence Services of Fayette County. Others were sent to a missionary in Honduras and the remaining went to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
“We learned that a third of the kids in Central Elementary School in New Orleans are still homeless,” said Rhodes. “We were so glad they were able to make use of our blankets.”
This year’s Prayer Bears also will be distributed to local children and also sent to the missionary in Honduras who works with a hospital that has a cancer ward for children. Rhodes said the missionary would like to start his own Vacation Bible School and is excited about the possibility of the children creating their own Prayer Bears - one to keep and one to give away. St. Peter’s is working to send a mission team there next year to teach them to do their own Vacation Bible School.
Rhodes said St. Peter’s is able to make 1,100 of these Prayer Bears after receiving donations to help offset the cost from members of the congregation as well as businesses, such as Wal-Mart, which donated most of the stuffing.
More than 70 volunteers have been involved in this project with work beginning in March. Thirty-six volunteers have been on site at VBS with one couple came from to spend the week. Additional volunteers will help to complete the Prayer Bears.
Why tackle mission projects during Vacation Bible School? Rhodes said the church believes it’s important for the children to learn about giving of themselves.
“A lot of times, children will run to the store and get something or give mom and dad’s money, but it’s not something of themselves. We wanted to teach an attitude of servanthood,” she said.
The children seemed to have fun while learning this lesson.
“I think it’s good that they have a bear and it tells them about Jesus,” said Micah Sickles, 14. “If you’re in a bad mood, you can hug it and it makes you feel better.”
“I like that it’s going to go to needy people,” said Katryna Rhodes, 9, daughter of Debra Rhodes. “It gives somebody something to hug when they go to sleep. I still hug a teddy bear.”
Baron Hatalowich, 7, said the bears “are fun” and that the children will like to “play with them.”
Cody Fairbee, 9, said he wants to “give them to children to play with them.”
Volunteer Carolina Buddemeyer said she likes the project.
“I think it is great, especially in countries where children have nothing,” she said.
She also thinks the project is special to the youths because “it’s something they have made and something they can give.”
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