Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Crafted With Love
Lutherans make cards to benefit missions
“Grace and peace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:3
Agroup of ladies at Bella Vista Lutheran Church is responsible for crafting intricate handmade greeting cards for all occasions with proceeds from sales going to missions.
SWAP — Stamped With A Prayer — is an outreach ministry of the church that meets monthly to prepare the cards for sale. Bettye Deppeler heads up the group. She says members of the group create the greeting cards at home then, when they meet, they put a sticker on the back of each one and place the card in cellophane. The sticker has the church’s logo on it and a verse, 1 Corinthians 1:3, which reads: “Grace and peace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Deppeler says the prepared cards are placed in a card rack where church members have access to them, and they can look at and purchase them on an honor system. The cards are sold for $2.50 each, and the ministry has given proceeds to missions such as the Lutheran seminary; Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, which serves veterans and First Responders through physical activity, mental wellness and volunteerism programs; Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter; and Souls Harbor, a transitional community for men in recovery, Deppeler says.
“If we give $1,000 away, we’ve sold 400 cards,” she says. She adds that lately the group has been giving away $500 amounts to smaller, local organizations instead of giving to a larger, national organization.
Deppeler says another opportunity for ministry is that church members who are recipients of cards return the cards to SWAP, whose members in turn take the backs off and remake the cards to give to nursing homes, Souls Harbor and other places. The lady who delivers the cards says a prayer over them, she says.
“It’s a mission thing for us, so we all have our hearts in it,” she says.
A few members of the group discussed what they enjoy about participating.
Cyndi Isaacson has been with SWAP about 17 years. She says, “I really like the mission we have, and I love being able to make cards at home. I love crafting, and I love the camaraderie.”
Julie Meraz says, “I’m fairly new to the church, so this is a way for me to get to know the ladies and make friends.”
The members says they enjoy admiring one another’s cards every time they meet. Deppeler says those who have been with the group for many years have become so familiar with one another’s work they can tell who made which card.
Edie Howard says she is not a member of the church, but the group still welcomes her.
“I just like to do cards,” she says. “You can learn from each other, which is the fun part.” She says it is gratifying when another member likes her cards.
Other members of the group are Helen Weeks, Nancy Larson, Sally Pfluger, Clarice Gnuse and Shirley Swenson.
“We all love what we’ve been doing,” Deppeler says. “I just hope when someone gets one of our cards they can feel the love that we put into it.”
Bella Vista Lutheran Church is located at 1990 Forest Hills Blvd. For information, call 855-0272 or visit bvlutheran.com.