LAKE WYLIE Clover native Pat Griffin has maintained a 12-year friendship with a Romanian girl who was once a member of the “Shoebox Children,” a program sponsoring impoverished children. As a gift to the child, Griffin sent a hand-crafted “SONcatcher,” an emblem made from recycled jewelry beads that symbolizes the Holy Trinity.
Last summer, the girl’s sister visited with Griffin and had in her possession something very special.
“She returned the jewelry I made, slightly worse for wear, and told me her sister took them everywhere she went,” Griffin said. “These beads traveled from Clover to Romania and back again. To think they meant something to her makes me feel like I made a difference.”
With more than 20 other women, Griffin is a member of the “Born Again Beads Light-Hearted Ministry,” a group that meets once a week to craft SONcatchers. Founded in 2007, Born Again Beads has crafted and distributed more than 2,500 pieces of jewelry throughout the local community and beyond.
“They can be for someone celebrating a new birth, a monumental birthday or just as a symbol of friendship,” said ministry member Beverly Durham. “It’s all about spreading the word, and you never know where they might end up.”
Recipients also include Hospice workers, volunteers at charitable organizations, or people who simply need a spiritual lift in times of need. Most recently, a delivery of more than 75 SONcatchers was made to the Rock Hill Children’s Attention home, a nonprofit organization catering to abused, abandoned or neglected children.
“We carry them in our purses and give them to people we know from our own interactions who could use something positive in their lives,” said Born Again Beads ministry co-founder Patty Snearly. “They represent the light of Jesus, and that all struggles can be overcome by a belief in him.”
Betty Nichols has been crafting jewelry since she was a young girl.
Now at age 91, Nichols often hands out the jewelry she’s made to the employees of the assisted living facility she currently calls home.
She’s also seen the SONcatchers appear in the unlikeliest of places.
“One woman had it as part of her wedding bouquet, and people have even fastened them to dog collars,” Nichols said. “When you get feedback like that, it really means a lot since we make these pieces of jewelry out of enjoyment and caring for others.”
All of the beads and supplies used to make the SONcatchers are purchased by the women themselves or donated. Nichols receives many of the beads she uses from a friend in California, who frequents garage and yard sales looking for the materials required to make the jewelry.
Snearly said the inspiration behind the ministry came in the form of a close friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer the year the program started. With a handful of others, Snearly began scheduling a weekly meet as a way to occupy the woman’s time with something equal parts social and constructive, a means to distract her from her illness.
And while the group is actively seeking and encouraging new members, Snearly says they must meet one important requirement.
“We want our members to be uplifted, not bogged down by their illness or a loved one’s illness, because that’s the reason why the program was first started,” she said. “We call ourselves a light- hearted ministry for a reason, as it’s a great opportunity to meet new friends and share in each other’s happiness.”
“We’re like a necklace of beads ourselves in that regard, we all strengthen when we come together,” she said.
Anyone interested in joining the Born Again Beads Light-Hearted Ministry, may call 803-389-7737 or email psnearly@yahoo.com. The group meets at 1 p.m. at the River Hills Community Church library.
