160 mats, mostly to homeless shelters from Lima to Cincinnati. A missionary took one to India. “It’s mainly for the homeless. During really cold
weather they go to shelters and they use them inside, but in warmer weather, they’re outside,” said Karen Schultz, a Trinity member who started the ministry aſt er learning how to make mats at her mother’s church. “Bugs don’t like them, and they’re waterproof.” Kristine DeAnthony is volunteer manager of the
clothing closet ministry for First Lutheran Church near downtown Cincinnati. Volunteers distribute free cloth- ing and personal care items there monthly. “We hand out a few mats a month,” she said. “T ey
are valued by folks who sleep outdoors as they can act as a barrier from the damp ground, and they can be easily rolled up and carried. T e mats are a great way to recycle an everyday item. Whoever thought a simple plastic grocery bag could be used as a tool to witness?” Members gather the fi rst Saturday of the month to
make mats; others do so from their homes. Each mat bears a label saying where it was made and a tag con- taining a prayer: “May God bless you and keep you in his comfort and care.” Word of the ministry spread quickly. “It takes 500 to 700 bags per mat and we couldn’t
keep up with that with our own members,” Schultz said. Aſt er she put a notice in the newspaper, “we got an
For more information, email Trinity at
tlcsecretary@msn.com.
abundance” of bags, she added. Some residents then joined the Saturday morning
work sessions. Interest also has grown among other ELCA congregations. Aſt er Schultz led a hands-on mat making workshop at the Southern Ohio Synod Assem- bly this year, several churches sent members to learn how to crochet them. Why does this ministry resonate with people?
“T ey’re able to help others, and they like seeing that these bags aren’t going in the landfi ll,” Schultz said. T e ministry is a good fi t for Trinity, a small con-
gregation without a lot of fi nancial resources, said Bob Akins, pastor. It provides outreach to the community and beyond, and fellowship among volunteers who make the mats. Homebound members also participate. “T e connection back to the church is valuable for
people who aren’t able to come to worship,” he said. “We also feel a sense of ‘green’ responsibility as the non- degradable bags are being kept out of our local landfi lls. “T is is one of a rare group of community eff orts that
essentially costs nothing while providing a real ben- efi t. T is is truly ‘Our hands’ doing ‘God’s work’ of providing for the less fortunate.”
Author bio: Kranz is a free- lance writer in Cincinnati.
with Rev. Gregory Seltz
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Lutheran Hour Ministries is an auxiliary of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
October 2014 41
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