Handmade with love

Loving Hands Ministry

Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. 

Fridays at 10 a.m.

Asbury United Methodist Church, Room 101

6690 Cahaba Valley Road 

All skill levels welcome

Armed with knitting needles and crochet hooks, the women of Loving Hands Ministry are making heads and hearts a little warmer in Birmingham. Over its 10-year history, the group has made hundreds of hats, scarves and other items to donate to anyone in need.

Loving Hands Ministry began at Asbury United Methodist Church when church member and longtime knitter Kathy Murphy wanted to share her hobby with others and give the products to charity. A decade later, about 20 women meet twice a week at Asbury for a devotional and good conversation over their needles and yarn. Many friendships have been formed through years of knitting and crocheting together.

“Being a part of Loving Hands knitting ministry has blessed the members in many ways,” said Elan Feagin, who has been part of the group since 2006. “We have shared our joys and our worries. We have seen each other through difficult times. We have prayed together, laughed together, and cried together.”

Margot Glenboski, a seven-year member and the group’s coordinator, said the first goal of Loving Hands is to provide prayer shawls for church and family members in difficult circumstances. However, with 20 busy pairs of hands, the group has also been able to provide hats to Children’s of Alabama, the Kirklin Clinic cancer treatment center and the UAB Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. They have made scarves for women’s shelters, the homeless and an orphanage in Ukraine, as well as children’s sweaters for World Vision.

“We strive to have our ministry give comfort to those that are suffering by letting them know we care for them,” Glenboski said. “Many of the people that receive what we make have never had someone make something new just for them.”

This year’s project is a Christmas tree covered with hats and books, which will be part of the annual Children’s Illuminations display at Children’s Hospital. Each book has a hat that goes with it, such as a “Finding Nemo” picture book paired with a colorful clownfish hat. The tree will be auctioned to benefit the hospital, adding more people to the long list of lives touched by the generosity of Loving Hands.

 “God has blessed our efforts to share his love with others by providing wonderful opportunities for ministry,” Feagin said. “We have had the chance to clothe those who are in need, we have looked after the sick, we have invited strangers in, and we have been blessed.”