Chaplaincy at LAC+USC Medical Center
A witness to God’s love for all people
This ministry is made possible by your support through the Presbyteries of the Pacific, San Gabriel, San Fernando and Los Ranchos and the Synod of Southern California. Your prayers and financial donations are always welcome. To find out how you can be involved, please contact Chaplain Elizabeth Gibbs Zehnder
Chaplaincy Update: Winter 2022
This update may be downloaded in PDF format, with more photos. To read the update's text below, you may need to scroll.
THANK YOU!
This Winter COVID surge has made for some very challenging days at the LAC+USC Medical Center - So many of the staff are
out sick, families are restricted from visiting and patients are in need of spiritual and emotional support.
One bright spot has been the outpouring of beautiful handmade blankets from all over Southern California. Full of color and blessed with prayer, we gave these blankets to patients a few days before Christmas.
Their faces fill with light when they realize that the beautiful blanket is a gift, handmade for them, by a complete stranger who also took the time to pray for
their healing and wellbeing. In a season when so many are struggling to find their way, the blankets are a tangible reminder of God’s love and care for all.
Some folks made a blanket as a part of their ongoing creative practice and sent their creations one at a time throughout the year. Others, like the group of knitters & crocheters at Pacific Palisades church who came together to create their Mustard Seed Ministry - support each other with yarn supply & encouragement. They bring all of their creations for the congregation to bless before they are given to the hospital. Other churches
already have robust crafting ministries and they expanded to include LAC+USC as a recipient. Photos feature blankets from Mustard Seed Ministry at Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church, Phill Aijian dropping off blankets from First Presbyterian Church of Newhall and Areta Crowell and Merilie Robertson bringing blankets from Pasadena Presbyterian Church and Monte Vista Groves. Other donations of beautiful handmade blankets came from Culver City Pres. Church, Calvary Pres. Church, Kirk of the Valley, San Marino Community Church, St. Mark’s Pres.Church and Wilshire Pres. Church plus many many individual contributors!!! We are so grateful to each and every one of you!
- Our patients love bright colors!
- Blankets need to be at least 36’x36’
- Blankets need to be handmade – knit, crocheted, quilted or sewn
- Offer prayers for the patient’s healing and wellbeing as you create your blanket
We accept donations of handmade blankets year-round. You can reach out to Chaplain Elizabeth at Elizabeth.GibbsZehnder@gmail.com for more details.
Chaplaincy Update: Spring 2022
In this current update the Rev. Elizabeth Gibbs-Zhender, Chaplain at LAC+USC Medical Center describes how the ongoing impact that COVID-19 influences her ministry
Read or download the update HERE.
Chaplaincy Update: Winter 2022
In this first report for 2022 Chaplain Elizabeth Gibbs Zehnder describes the December 2021 annual blanket distribution, when handmade blankets are gifted to hospitalized patients. You may read the text, with additional photos here,or download in PDF format,
TOP
502 Acts of Kindness:
A Patchwork of Healing and Warmth
The hospital made this short video documenting the project “A Patchwork of Healing and Warmth."
Alma and Anne
A cancer patient named Alma put on a cap crocheted by a woman named Anne.
Alma was moved to tears because a total stranger had spent hours praying and crocheting something to ease her suffering as she battled her cancer.
Anne was moved to tears because this brave cancer patient reminded her of her own mother’s fight with cancer years ago.
Variations on this transaction happened 501 times more that day at LAC+USC Medical Center during the 2018 Acts of Kindness Blanket Distribution. Volunteers from faith communities across Southern California came to give blankets to the patients, including Rev. Sue Fisher &, Rev. Karen Claassen & Rick Huff, Anne Coiffi, Rebekah Vander, Sherri Hodge and Rev. Lyn Gifford. Thanks to everyone who came together to make the 2018 Acts of Kindness possible
.
All year, folks from all over the county have been knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing (and praying) these blankets. . If you knit, crochet, quilt or sew we welcome your donations for 2019! Blankets need to be hand made (knit, crocheted, quilted or sewn) and prayed over - 36”x36”/48”.