A new ministry is extending an invitation to learn how to craft for a cause every Monday.

“The Holy Crafters,” a new ministry of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, is a mission that will teach participants how to knit, crochet, bead, make jewelry, loom and more every Monday morning from 10 a.m. to noon.

It all started when the members of the church found out Mary Wesley Harvey, a church member, was “looming,” a craft using round frames and yarn to make scarves, hats, blankets and more. The church decided to incorporate it into a church project. It’s a ministry for everyone — from beginners to experts — and Harvey recalled a moment when a woman told her she had always wanted to try looming, but her husband had said it would be too hard, to which Harvey responded, “don’t worry, I’ll teach you.”

“I said, ‘Honey, let me tell you what to do. You go to Michaels, and you tell your husband you won’t be home on Mondays for two hours, and then you will have a toboggan or scarf for your husband on Christmas,’” Harvey laughed.

Harvey said the goal of the ministry is to get people together for a good time and teach them how to do various crafts, but also help as many people they can. The group wants to give away their crafts to “anybody who needs it.”
Harvey acts as a living example of how this ministry can make a difference. Last year, Harvey said she had spent time in Golden Living, a healthcare center in Greenville, and while there, an organization donated homemade hats, scarves and blankets to the patients, and it was always a huge hit.

“These people needed it: the babies needed it; the mothers needed it. It was a great cause. Sometimes these people have nothing,” Harvey said.

Harvey said as the ministry progresses, she expects more and more people to join and they can continue to brainstorm how they can use the products to help others.

“This will be a very good success story, and I think we can touch a lot of lives. That’s what I envision. You don’t have to be an Episcopalian as far as I’m concerned. If you want to learn, we’ll teach ya’,” Harvey said.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church is located on 101 N. Bonner St. in Washington. The Holy Crafters meet every Monday from 10 a.m. to noon.