From scraps to glory

Last Sunday our Quilting ministry covered the chairs and pews in our Worship spaces with the 159 quilts they made this past year.  Below they share what inspires them to go beyond in their generosity and how the impact of the ministry is going way beyond our church...

Quilts are a tangible way to help people. A quilt may be used in a third world hospital, might wrap an orphan, could be used as a sack to carry a refugee’s goods, serve as a baby carrier, it may become a sunshade or a warm blanket, or be used as a room divider.

What might be considered scraps are transformed into something God uses for His glory. We take what are seemingly minimal resources – donated pieces of fabric and discarded sheets in good condition – combine them with the generous ongoing contribution of batting by a member, and tie the layers together. Each quilt is not only a work of art but more so, a representation of love.

The quilts first go to Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and then to their affiliates around the world for distribution. Last year, nearly 500,000 quilts were distributed by LWR worldwide. We were able to track the last shipment of Good Shepherd quilts sent to Lutheran World Relief. They went to Nepal, the area of a devastating earthquake in April, 2015. Over 9,000 LWR quilts have been distributed there.

Other quilts made this year have gone to Malaysia, the orphanage in Africa, Lifespring of Wayside Cross, and Lutherdale’s annual quilt auction. Some small quilts and blankets were given to Hesed House. An interesting fact: The scraps left over after making the quilts are bundled and given to Wayside Cross to be made into rags and sold to help fund that ministry.

Our Quilt Ministry team has also sent quilts to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where winters are brutally cold. This year, our friends at the reservation requested help as they wanted to start their own Quilt Ministry to especially serve the elders and children. One member of our congregation helped buy sewing machines which were shipped along with several boxes of fabric and supplies.

Linda V.