origami evangelism:
Abingdon church folds prayer into everyday outreach
By Annette Bender
ABINGDON, Va.– Bill Crump was a preacher's kid in the 1930s and '40s when he discovered that "church bulletins make wonderful paper airplanes."
Decades later in the same conference where his father served as youth coordinator, Crump has discovered that church bulletins also make great Christmas ornaments and prayer crosses. The 70-year-old member of Carvosso United Methodist Church uses his origami skills as an evangelism tool as well as a means of gifting his fellow parishioners.
A former director of Christian education at Brainerd UMC in Chattanooga and a retired clinical social worker, Crump and his wife, Carol Schoenherr-Crump, now live in Abingdon as owners of the Rivergarden Bed and Breakfast.
Over the years, Crump's airplane-making abilities developed into an interest in origami, the Japanese paper art. "I just practiced folding," says Crump, son of the late Rev. E.L. Crump Sr. "I made Christmas cards for a number of years."
Seven Advent seasons ago, Crump began recycling church bulletins as Christmas ornaments and giving them to congregation members.
Every year, he makes a different ornament using the colorful commercial photos on the cover of every Carvosso bulletin. In 1997, he made stars; in 2001, angels.
This year, Crump made 200 butterflies, placing them on a macramé Christmas tree for guests and members to select and share with friends. Carvosso averages about 80 worshipers each Sunday.
"By now, most church members have several ornaments and a new one to add each year," says the Rev. Leonard Smith. "Bill enjoys making them and giving them out."
Earlier this year, the origami artist started making "prayer crosses" to wear as necklaces. He was wearing one during a hospital visit when he had an inspiration. After he had prayed with the patient, "I took off my cross, placed it around her neck, and told her that as a church member I would continue praying for her."
Wondering if the paper crosses could become an evangelism tool for Carvosso, Crump took his idea to the church's administrative council in September. What if parishioners began to wear prayer crosses around town? Then, when people inquired about the unusual cross – as they inevitably would – members could give away their necklaces with the promise that "Carvosso United Methodist Church will pray for you."
Louella Woodward, chair of the board, says the idea was "enthusiastically embraced" from the start.
"We immediately recognized that it would be a wonderful testimony of faith in creative action," she said. "Our church is firmly rooted in heartfelt prayer, and the crosses are such a simple but powerful tool. It's just caught on like wildfire."
Smith dedicated the crosses during a special service, then church members and guests took one or two to wear and pass on. Crump keeps a basket well stocked with crosses in the back of the church for people who need replacements. Each necklace takes about 20 minutes to create, he said.
By early December, church members had already distributed about 450 crosses – one as far as California. Church members tell stories about how the crosses provoke conversations that lead to faith sharing, often at the grocery store. Smith said he was buying orange juice when he gave his necklace to a woman who admired it.
"It's not easy for people to talk to others about their faith," he said. "The prayer cross makes it easier to stop and pass it on."
Often, people will resist taking the cross, or will want to pay or make a donation to the church. Carvosso won't accept payment or donations for the crosses, says Crump.
"But I do tell them that they can come to my church and put something in the offering plate. Or they can give an offering to their own church. Usually that will lead to a conversation about whether or not they attend church." Crump also suggests that people can participate in the evangelism effort by giving away their newly acquired cross to an admirer. "They can come back to Carvosso for replacements."
Smith says he frequently reminds parishioners to continue praying for recipients of the crosses "because we promised."
He also includes prayers for those who have received crosses during Sunday worship. "To tell someone you're going to pray for them – that's such an encouragement, especially to people who feel that no one would want to pray for them."
Church members marvel at Crump's patience and the hours he spends folding bulletins into beautiful shapes. For Carvosso members, the ornaments and crosses have elevated meaning because they're made of their own bulletins.
"This has meant so much to our church," says Woodward. "We hope it's something that would catch on with other churches." Crump says he would love to train others to make prayer crosses with recycled paper.
In the meantime, the Holston son who once sailed paper airplanes through United Methodist fellowship halls is using his gifts for an even higher purpose. "Prayer has become more important in my life in recent years. In accepting the prayer cross, people are accepting that I'll be praying for them from now on."
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