5,000th prayer quilt made
Published 9:34 am Thursday, November 17, 2016
- Prayers & Squares ministry members at First United Methodist Church of Mocksville include Carolyn Cartner, Lib Beck, Barbara Berry, Martha Bennett, Sharon Chaffin, Claudia Hunter, Carolyn Smitherman, Paula Harrison, Jean Helms, Libby Banks, Cathy McClamrock, Nancy Harpe, Bobbie Morris, Ellen Dyson, Diana Bromley and Yvonne Butzbach.
First United Methodist Church started a Prayers & Squares quilt ministry in October of 2003. This past Wednesday members celebrated their 5,000th prayer quilt that have been distributed. The ministry consists of about 20 women who give of their time and talents to meet every Wednesday and make prayer quilts for people who are in need of prayer and a little extra love.
“When we started this ministry, we had no idea what was in store for us, we didn’t foresee the many blessings that we would receive from making and giving out these most amazing quilts,” said Libby Banks, chair of the ministry.
“The quilts have touched the lives of many people, not only the ones who receive them, but the ones also who come in contact with them, whether at the hospital, HOSPICE, taking treatments or just being at home.
“The quilts are laced with strings and as you tie a knot you say a prayer for the person, when they spread it over them, they are covered in a quilt of prayers. The power of prayer is so powerful that people say the quilts radiate heat from them and they feel the prayers,” Banks said.
Prayers & Squares is an international ministry, it has more than 1,000 chapters all over the world. Mocksville First Methodist is Chapter 148.
“There are many chapters all over North Carolina now and we helped start a lot of them in the surrounding areas of Mocksville. Our prayer quilts have been sent all over the world, Russia, England, Haiti, and Jamaica just to name a few, but mostly in the US.”
The group meets every Wednesday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. There is a short Bible study, then members have fun quilting and sharing fellowship. The pastor, Dr. Glenn Myers Jr., comes over at lunch and for a special blessing over the quilts that will be going out that day. A total of 8 to 15 quilts are given out each Wednesday.
“Unlike many other organizations that make quilts for charitable purposes, the purpose of Prayers & Squares is not to make and distribute quilts, but to promote prayer through the use of quilts,” Banks said. “Our motto is ‘it’s not about the quilt, its all about the prayers’.”
