Meeting Highlights

Eighteen Mat Makers attended this week’s meeting, continuing to be God’s hands and feet in our community.

Terri opened the meeting with prayer, using the prayer that Jackie had shared by text that morning.

Upcoming Mat Makers Dates

• Tuesday, September 8 and Tuesday, October 1: Trade Days.
• Saturday, September 5: We had a 3 Fold SERVE. This first-Saturday service opportunity included making cards, crocheting lapghans, and helping tie lapghans. There was also a drop-off for Starting Over Baskets.
• Thursday, September 10: Anthem Women’s Night 2026. This is a free, one-night gathering for women of all ages to encounter Jesus, grow spiritually, and connect with other women in community.
• 6:00 p.m. CT — Dinner
• 6:45 p.m. CT — Doors open
• 7:00 p.m. CT — Session
• 8:30 p.m. CT — Dessert
• Saturday, September 26, time to be determined: Superheroes Fire in Cullman. This event will draw attention to suicide prevention and the homeless population and is sponsored by Karen Cook Ministries. Mat Makers will be one of approximately 30 participating ministries, with a focus on our outreach to those experiencing homelessness. We will have metal crosses and tiny Jesus figures available as giveaways. Andy Jordan will lead this event. Please wear your Mat Makers shirt. Lynn P will also be designing something to showcase Mat Makers many ministries for informational purposes to share.
• Saturday, October 3, 8:00 a.m.: Mat Makers First Saturday SERVE. This event will showcase several of our ministries, help recruit more crocheters, and give newcomers an opportunity to participate. Lynn P. will lead this event. Our primary focus will be on making mats, since this is where we currently need the greatest help and productivity. As we move into the colder fall season, mats are especially needed. Other Mat Makers ministries will be represented together on one small display table.  More info coming soon.  Wear your Mat Makers Shirts!

Ministry Updates:

Talladega Walker Bag Giveaway

Leslie reported on last week’s Talladega walker bag giveaway. Approximately 100 walker bags were left for distribution. Because of illness, the team was unable to visit personally with the residents.

Beautiful walker bags lovingly made by Mary Jane and the Pell City Mat Makers Group will also be available soon for distribution.

Family Assistance

Marteeka will be receiving a Pack ’n Play from a furniture resource in Homewood. A high chair was also offered when Karen stopped by for pickup through the ministry that Kathryn contacted.  I just realized I did not have the name of the Ministry but it sounds amazing.

Donations and Works in Progress

We continue to receive and prepare many items for ministry, including:

• Mats: Samantha finished her 1st Mat! and Helen finished the Mat she’d been working on.
• Lapghans: Lynn P finished one in a masculine color
• Hats: KJ finished hats that had scarves previously donated; we had hats donated to us on Saturday at the Serve.

Needed Donations

If you have any of the following items to donate, please let us know:

• Elastic for walker bags in 1/8-inch or 3/16-inch widths
• Buttons approximately the size of a quarter
• Get-well cards for our card ministry; please give card donations to Valerie or Jessica
• Beds for a family of four; please see Marilyn

Other Information:

Helen found a great channel on YouTube called Worship Frequency.  The art looks to be AI, but the prayer music is beautiful and powerful.  There are many topics such as Giving Thanks, Tired and Weary Souls, Destroy Evil Attacks, Open New Doors and more.  The songs are words we would speak to God in our prayers.  It’s worshipping Prayers.   If you’d like to listen visit: https://www.youtube.com/@WorshipFrequencyYT

Mat Makers Blog

The Mat Makers blog is being updated to help share our ministry with others, especially those who may want to donate bags, yarn, supplies, or other needed items. It will also be an easy place to share weekly newsletters by email or text.  It’s still a work in progress, but its available to share and to see the videos to help learn how to start from scratch.  Feel free to share with new Mat Makers in your group or anyone who’d like to know more.

You can visit and share the blog here: matmakers.blog

Prayer and praise requests will not be posted publicly on the blog because they are personal.  A private, password-protected page with simplified prayer requests is also available for those who do not have access to email. It will be updated weekly.

Private prayer-request page: matmakers.blog/prayer-requests  Password: gingergina#

Our devotion was shared by Chris.  It’s from Instagram Creator @AussieDave  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcijVMSkwxq/?img_index=1  

I used to think trusting God would make life feel less overwhelming.
Then I noticed Jeremiah describes someone trusting God while life is still really hard.

I took this photo of an acacia tree growing in the Israeli desert.
Almost everything around it looked dry.
And yet somehow, this tree was still alive.

Some days feel like that.
Work is stressful.
Money is tight.
Someone you love isn’t okay.

A relationship is falling apart.
You’re waiting for test results.
Your kids are struggling.
And at 2am, your brain still won’t switch off.

This photo reminds me of something Jeremiah wrote.
He describes someone who trusts God as a tree that sends its roots toward water.

The Hebrew word for root is sheresh (enu).
And there’s an important detail in what Jeremiah describes next.

The desert heat around the tree doesn’t disappear.
The drought doesn’t suddenly end.
The tree survives because its roots are drawing from a source the heat can’t reach.

That changes how I think about trusting God when I’m anxious.
I keep wanting God to change what’s happening around me.
Jeremiah reminds me that sometimes I need God to sustain what’s happening inside me.

So when anxiety won’t settle, you don’t have to pretend you’re fine or somehow manufacture more faith.

Tell God what you’re afraid of.
Text the person you trust.
Put your phone down for just a few minutes.
Do whatever helps you remember that you don’t have to carry all of this by yourself.

You don’t need to solve everything that’s making you anxious today.
Just decide where you’re going to put your roots.

Talk honestly to God.
Take the next step in front of you.
You can still be anxious and stay connected to God.

“They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit..”
John 15:1

Jackie closed the meeting by praying over our prayer requests and praises.

See you on Tuesday for TRADE Day at Lynn H’s in the Sunroom at 9:00 am!

I love you all very much, Mat Makers!

Lynn P