By Debbie Rippetoe
One of our newest ministries at FUMC is the baby blanket ministry. In the past 12 months, we have welcomed 15 babies into the FUMC family. Earlier this year, Children’s Program Director Lara Greene came up with the idea of welcoming babies with a cuddly blanket. We spoke with Debbie Rippetoe, coordinator of the baby blanket team, about this new ministry.
“Each person has their own style and selects their own yarn. Blankets can be knit, crocheted, or woven. What they have in common is they are all soft and very washable, and every stitch of every blanket was made by someone doing it for the children,” Debbie told us.
Through the new baby brunch, Debbie was able to meet young couples in our congregation she had not known before. Many of the young families are fairly new to the congregation and the social time and gift of a blanket enabled them to begin to make connections with the knitters. Debbie enjoys other multi-generational connections, volunteering at summer Sunday School and VBS. “Kids are wonderful, they are so open and honest. They will say whatever is on their mind. It is fun to see them and their families on Sunday morning. I like watching them go up for the children’s time in worship and seeing familiar faces.” For Debbie and the members of her team, this new ministry is not only about weaving together strands of yarn, it’s about connecting members of our multigenerational congregation.
