From print to prayer
Story moves Nebraska woman to pray for students
Text and photos by Michael L. Sherer '
iane Cone is a literalist in the best sense of the word. Aſt er reading an April 2007 article in T e Lutheran, she decided it was her task and
opportunity, literally, to follow up. T e article gave a viewpoint on prayer, something Cone has been doing with passion for a long time. T e Lutheran article appeared under the headline
“Let us pray for our seminary students.” Cone has never been to seminary—nor college, for that matter—but she knows the value of the ELCA’s theological schools. T ey’ve provided the pastors for her congregation, Salem Evangelical Lutheran in Fon- tanelle, nine miles north of Fremont, Neb. Her current pastor, Robert
Hayden, graduated from Pacifi c Lutheran T eological Seminary in Berkeley, Calif. A previous pastor, Charles Bichel, now retired, attended Wartburg T eological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. Because she had maintained cordial relationships
‘The recipients know I prayed over them as I made them.’
And then she began to pray. Over time, two students responded—one from each
school. Cone still communicates with one of them, Wartburg Seminary graduate Lori Betz, now serving as a pastor in Wisconsin. Cone has found other creative ways to make her
prayers concrete. “I knit 5-inch ‘prayer squares’ that people can hold onto in times of crisis,” she said. “T e recipients know I prayed over them as I made them.” She also knits prayer shawls for individuals facing
challenging circumstances. Some of the shawls are given to parents of infants being baptized. T e infants receive “prayer blankets.” So far, Cone has made and distributed more than 600
prayer shawls and blankets. Members of her congregation became aware of her
eff orts when she agreed to tell a “faith story” at worship on T anksgiving Eve several years ago. Her family is also well aware of what she’s up to.
“In church one Sunday,” she said, “my grandson saw a woman seated in front of us. He said, ‘Look, Grandma, there’s one of your shawls. You made that.’ ” T e article in T e Lutheran didn’t get Cone started
with both pastors, Cone decided to start praying for seminarians on those two campuses. Not sure exactly how to begin, she went to a neigh-
borhood store and purchased a package of eight greet- ing cards of the “thinking-of-you” variety. In each she wrote a message explaining that, though she had never met the recipient, she was praying for him or her. She included contact information, sealed all the cards and sent them off —four to each seminary.
in a rich prayer life. She’s been nurturing that prac- tice since childhood. But that article she read was the catalyst to turn her attention in a direc- tion it had never pointed before. And it has expanded her world.
Author bio: 6KHUHU :DYHUO\ ,RZD LV D UHWLUHG (/&$ SDVWRU DQG IRUPHU QHZVSDSHU HGLWRU
November 2015 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68