Twenty years ago, in Ranch Bernardo, Calif., a 2-year-old boy lay comatose following heart surgery. Doctors had little hope for his recovery. But his grandmother and the members of her church quilting group wanted to do something to help.
They decided to do the only thing they could think of — they made a quilt for his hospital bed, praying for the child’s health with each knot they tied. And what started as a hobby became an international ministry, with people all over the world making quilts for children and adults facing illnesses or other personal crises.
Now Diane Sturges, a member of Columbus Seventh-day Adventist Church, is bringing the prayer quilt ministry to the Golden Triangle. The first meeting will be Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. in the church fellowship hall and is open to people of all faiths, ages, genders and skill levels.
There’s only one requirement: the desire to help others through active, intercessory prayer.
Sturges explained more about the Prayers and Squares group Thursday morning.
How long has the local group been meeting, and how did it begin?
We’re just starting. I had come from Panama City … A lot of (Seventh-day Adventist) churches have these. We’re the first one in the area, which really surprised me. A lot of churches have quilting as a women’s ministry, but this is intercessory prayer. This is not a bunch of women getting together and quilting.
How can quilting be used for prayer?
We’re doing a (hand-tied) quilt. Each of the knots put in there has a prayer associated with each knot for the person who’s receiving the quilt. There are 10 or 15 knots per block, and on these, there are usually 15 blocks.
Everyone who ties a knot, there is one prayer sent up. We leave some knots untied so when it’s presented to the person or their sponsor, the whole congregation prays over it, and it’s set out in the church foyer on a table, and each member of the congregation can go out and tie a knot and pray for the person.
When the person receiving it knows that every one of those (knots) is a prayer for them, it gives them so much hope. It’s very uplifting.
What size are they, and how long do they take to make?
They’re usually around 40 inches by 56 inches, and — this is just an average — takes 20 hours for just one person to make the top.
How often will the group meet?
I think we’re going to meet once a week, alternating Sundays at 10 a.m. and Mondays at 6 p.m. People can bring a lunch or a light supper to the meeting.
How do you decide who will receive a prayer quilt?
People find us. They know about the program, and they’ll come and give us requests like, “This child is in the hospital or this lady is going to hospice,” different things like that. … A lot of these are an emergency-type thing — if someone is ill and it’s just been recent or they’ve been diagnosed with cancer or something. It’s usually done in a fairly quick fashion.
Do people have to already know how to quilt to participate?
My husband had never sewed on a sewing machine. He’s working on his second quilt, and he’d never touched a machine before. All you have to do is sew a straight line. We take anybody who would like to be part of this prayer ministry. Some people cut the material, some hand-sew the bindings. It combines the spiritual with fellowship. You’re there for a purpose — intercessory prayer for people.
Is quilting hard to learn?
No. No, no, no, no. It’s time-consuming, but it’s not hard. And you have to be patient. You have to really bring a calm mind to the process. It’s very soothing to just sit there. I usually put on some really nice music.
How did you learn to quilt?
Oh my. I’ve quilted ever since I was 12, and I’m 62. I’ve always been involved in sewing in some way.
What do you enjoy most about it?
Oh, the creativity. It’s just so creative. It’s an outlet. I can’t paint, but I can paint with cloth.
Do you ever sell the quilts the prayer group makes?
Once a year, we will have a fundraiser where we will sell quilts to raise money to buy material. Probably the first Saturday in November, so people can think about it for Christmas presents.
What should other churches do if they want to start a Prayers and Squares ministry?
If they go to the website, prayersandsquares.com, it will give them all the background.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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