Pastor’s Programs Help Rebuild Women’s Lives

By Nancy K. Crevier

“People feel that in order to be part of a church, you have to be in the church and go to the church,” said the Reverend Ernestine Urquhart, pastor of the Guiding Light Interdenominational Church that meets at 2 Stony Hill in Bethel. “It’s true, in a way, that we need that for our spiritual growth. But if we say we want to model Christ, I know that Jesus went out to those in need,” she said.

Pastor Urquhart has spent most of her 12 years as a minister deliberately seeking out those in need and helping them. She teaches life skills, counsels, and leads Bible study classes and a Sunday evening service to women incarcerated at facilities in Connecticut and New York. For the past five years, the Newtown resident has also led the Knit To Fit Project at the correctional facilities where she ministers.

“It’s a program for women, to facilitate community involvement and to teach work ethics to those who need rebuilding, refining, or a skill that is marketable when they return to the real world,” said Pastor Urquhart. “I chose correctional facilities to begin this program because that’s where I was teaching life skills. Women at these prisons showed me items that they had knit and crocheted as hobbies, not realizing the talents that they had. It inspired me to help these women fine tune their skills so that they would be able to help themselves.”

After writing up a detailed proposal about the Knit To Fit Project, the program was instituted at three facilities “and is working very nicely,” Pastor Urquhart said. Between 50 and 75 women at the correctional institutions take part, and she has heard back from women released into the general population that the knitting skills they learned through the program have served as a stepping stone to getting a real job.

“They find that they can sell what they make at craft shows or even get a vendor’s license to sell on the streets in New York City. This is important, because so many of these women ended up in prison because of money crimes to begin with. This is a skill they’ll always have so that they don’t fall back to bad habits,” she said.

Working without the aid of patterns, the women knit and crochet shawls, shrugs (short sleeved jackets), pullover shawls and caps, short- and long-sleeved cardigans, vests, skirts, slippers, stuffed animals, and many other items that Pastor Urquhart distributes to other women, and some children, in need. A “Knit To Fit” label designating it as a handcrafted item is sewn into each finished piece.

“Right now, the items made are practical and geared toward women who may need clothing items that they can layer to keep warm. That’s what is essential, because many of the women who receive them are sitting in cold rooms, saving on the cost of heating bills. The women who make these things love knowing that they are helping others even less fortunate than themselves,” said Pastor Urquhart.

Women who complete the Knit To Fit Program receive a certificate for community service hours. Pastor Urquhart and her church also provide women being released from prison with several casual and business outfits, toiletries, and most importantly, a sense of pride.

“This project instills self-confidence, good self-esteem, and a reason for being,” she said. “These women are unbelievably talented. They just need to know it,” said the minister.

The project has been supported through the generous donation of crochet hooks and knitting needles from Wrights Products, in response to an email request by Pastor Urquhart when she began the program, and by donations of yarn by individuals.

“JoAnn Fabrics lets me buy discontinued yarn at 75 percent off, too, and that cost has been covered by donations from church members and our acquaintances,” Pastor Urquhart said.

The Knit To Fit Project, which operates under the umbrella of the Lion of Judah Reach Out Ministry, is currently in great need of yarn, despite earlier donations. Yarn can be donated to the program by calling Pastor Urquhart at 203-426-4338, or contacting her through s.cortlandt.urquhart@gmail.com or godsentu1@aol.com.

“I tell the women who leave the facilities to start small, learn the market, know their materials, and make a product their own. What they learn here encourages the women to take any job and be the best at it,” said Pastor Urquhart.

She hopes to expand the program to include community centers, senior centers, church groups, and social clubs. “This program could make afghans and blankets, too, and build up the program to assist others in need,” she said.

Although her ministerial duties and the Knit To Fit Project keep her busy, Pastor Urquhart is not finished reaching out to those in need.

She will soon be launching another program, Pretty Wonderful Things, “for incarcerated women and for any women in need of employment, who love working with hair and fashion,” she said.

Pretty Wonderful Things is Pastor Urquhart’s newest business and manufactures fine human hair and synthetic ponytail pieces, French clip barrettes, and other accessories for men and women.

“I’m hoping to work out of a space in Newtown,” she said, “and am seeking the donation of housing that can be used for the business and for women in need of a place to stay as they learn this skill and put the pieces of their lives back together,” she said.

“My goal,” said Pastor Urquhart, “is to help women find their talents and position themselves to do what they love.”