Bald Eagle Presbyterian Church and Big Twins Motorcycle Club: A Labor of Love
MILL HALL – You wouldn’t think a prayer shawl ministry and a motorcycle club would have much in common. But in the case of the Prayer Shawl Ministry at Bald Eagle Presbyterian Church in Mill Hall and the Susquehanna Valley Big Twins Motorcycle Club based in Woolrich, the two have come together for a common good.
SVBTMC members Saturday delivered close to 2,000 items made by members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry to local hospitals, nursing and personal care homes, and urgent care centers. The blankets and afghans, lap robes, hats, scarves and mittens, infant sweaters, and comfort dolls were knitted or crocheted throughout the year by about 30 needle workers who meet the first Wednesday of the month at the church (although some work from their homes).
It’s a labor of love, and the fruits of their labor end up comforting those in places such as UPMC Susquehanna Lock Haven Hospital’s Haven Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Susque-View Home Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, The Gatehouse, and personal care homes including Eagle Ridge, Heartland, Fulmer’s and Nightengales. Comfort dolls and infant pieces go to the neo-natal unit at Geisinger Medical Center.
“Our Prayer Shawl Ministry is thriving because we got the bikers involved,” said Pastor Susan Champion, noting that while the Prayer Shawl members craft the items, it’s the motorcycle club that does the heavy lifting, spending the day making the deliveries. The church had all of the items out for public display and provided a light lunch for the Motorcycle Club members before they headed out.
