By Rev. Marty Levesque
Each week the All Saints’ Wool Gatherers from All Saints’ Anglican Church, Waterloo, would meet, knit and share fellowship. They would prepare prayer shawls for the clergy to take on hospital visits, hats and scarves to supply the Care and Share Community Center operated by Carizon Family and Community Services, and Alzheimer muffs for the Alzheimer Society.
Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic they could no longer gather physically, so they have begun meeting by Zoom. Each week they still gather, still knit, and still share fellowship. The only things that have changed are how they meet, virtually, and what they are knitting.
Recently they were asked to knit “ear savers”. The PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) masks worn by health care workers were designed to be worn for a limited time only and not all day. As a result of wearing masks all day our front line healthcare workers are developing blisters and irritations behind the ears.
The Wool Gatherers got to work and produced dozens and dozens of these little additions to front line workers PPE kits. They were delivered to Trinity Care Village by Pastor Marty Levesque and received with much gratitude by the front line health care workers and their ears.
We may no longer be able to gather physically but that doesn’t mean the church stops being the church. We find ways to gather, to support one another and to do ministry. The building may be empty today, but the church is busy.
Rev. Marty Levesque is the rector at All Saints’, Waterloo