NEWS

Plastic bags woven into all-weather sleeping mats

Members of the congregation of Thoburn United Methodist Church in St. Clairsville are engaged in a new project to provide all-weather sleeping mats for the homeless. Under the direction of church members Mary Mowrer and Carol Drake, children in the church’s LOGOS program are collecting plastic grocery bags and weaving the mats.

LOGOS, which stands for “Loving Our God/Giving Our Service,” is a weekly program serving approximately 80-90 children of the community, about half of which are not directly affiliated with the church. The program, which meets on Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m.-6:45 p.m., begins with a meal, then each of the children move through a rotation which includes a Bible lesson, a fine arts component, and an opportunity for service. The Mat Ministry is an activity of the service component.

Children cut the plastic bags into strips, which then are woven into a light-weight, all-weather, easily transportable mat, approximately seven feet by three feet. Each mat requires about 700 bags.

“The LOGOS Mat Ministry is just one more way in which the Thoburn family is involved in combining recycling efforts with service to the world,” says Dr. Bradley Call, Senior Pastor of Thoburn.

On the second Sunday of each month, the congregation is invited to bring aluminum beverage cans (bagged) to the church parking lot, where they are gathered for recycling. Proceeds from the recycling go to the local unit of Habitat for Humanity. Pop tabs from the cans are collected separately and go to the Ronald McDonald House in Morgantown, enabling them to buy needed equipment through a separate program.

“Not only do these projects help keep such items out of the stream of waste,” says Dr. Call, “they are turned around in ways that make a positive contribution to our world. That’s what our faith is all about -redemption.”