A Mission of Spreading Christian Love and Warmth, One Handmade Quilt at a Time
Every Monday morning, the quilting group of Bethania Moravian Church gets together to work on their mission project – creating quilts to give to people in need of comfort and a warm place to sleep. This is a dedicated group of people who are continuing the work started in 1993 at Bethania Moravian Church.
Where do the Quilts Go?
In the past, the quilters have donated their quilts to King Outreach Ministry and Sunnyside Ministry. They currently work with Cities with Dwellings and A Bed and A Book. In addition, they also make quilted lap robes for church members who are homebound, as well as other community members “who need a little color in their life, or to know that someone’s thinking about them.”
A Bed and a Book is a local organization that provides children with a bed to sleep in and a book to read in bed. The quilters of Bethania make and donate twin-sized quilts for the children’s new beds. For Cities with Dwellings, the quilters make full-sized quilts and include them in “Welcome Home” kits for people who are just getting started in a new living situation. In addition to one quilt for each family member, the kits include pots and pans, silverware, dishes, new pillows, towels, shower curtains, toilet paper, and general supplies that many of us take for granted but are greatly needed in every home. In addition to making the quilts, the group also collects donations for the Welcome Home kits.
How Are the Quilts Made?
The quilts are made mostly from material that is donated to the group. Sometimes they receive monetary donations, and that money is used to purchase quilting supplies that are not usually donated, such as thread and batting. They create the tops of the quilts by stitching pieces of material together using a sewing machine (those are also donated). This is when they arrange the pieces and decide on color patterns designs for the quilt. Then the make a bottom layer that is usually not as decorative as the top layer. The quilts they make are tacked, instead of using a sewing machine to finish them. That means the batting is placed in the middle of the top and bottom layers, then it is all stretched onto a quilt rack, and they use thread to tie and knot the layers together into a finished quilt.
Would You Like to Join the Quilters?
Bethania’s quilting group currently consists of about nine women, although men are welcome to join. Many are members at Bethania Moravian Church, but some are not. Even though there are currently nine members of the group, only three of them do the tacking. This means they have quite a backlog of quilt layers that are ready to be finished. The group would love to have more volunteers to help, and church membership is not required. As they like to say, “Anyone can tie a knot!”
The quilters at Bethania have committed to continue making quilts as long as they have materials coming in and people who are willing to do the work. They work in a space dedicated to the work of their mission, which includes a coffee station with hot water for tea, sewing machine stations, and a custom-built shelving unit to store materials and finished quilts. If you would like to donate or volunteer, please call the church office at 336-922-1284.
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