Sometimes I like to think of God as The Great Quilter, piecing creation together. And sometimes I like to think that it’s the quilters of the world who are really holding the church together. After all, it takes great dedication, commitment, patience, skill, love and teamwork to put together a quilt. How I hope these qualities will be on display here at Rainbow and in the larger church.

Thanks to information provided by Phyllis Carlson, since 2003 the Rainbow Quilters have pieced and quilted TEN quilts for the Mennonite Central Committee Sale in Hutchinson, KS.  This year’s quilt (pictured above) is an Amish design called “Roman Stripes.” Quilters on Roman Stripes included:  Phyllis Carlson, Laurel Kauffman, Kathy Kaufman, Susan Kysela, Karla Leuenberg, Marsha Rhodes and her sister Monica, Betty Wykcoff, and Claire Zehner. Betty Wyckoff pictured above did most of the hand quilting using a purple thread. The baby quilt pictured above is the fine work of Emily Wiebe.

Through the years much of the fabric used in these Rainbow quilts has been donated; however, the past two years money has been set aside for this project in the church budget.  These quilts and others will be auctioned for Mennonite Central Committee April 11, and 12.

Of course you don’t have to go all the way to Hutchinson to enjoy quilts. For example, did you know that some of the flooring at Rainbow is designed to look like quilt blocks?

Floor designed to look like quilt blocks

East entryway quilt block floor tiles

And have you took time to notice these beauties?

I’ll end this post by sharing a prayer written by the one and only Judi Jacobson, a woman of tremendous beauty and who lives on in memory.

“Weave the strands of our lives into the fabric of your Body. Make us strong and durable, colorful and interesting, supple and resilient so that we may be a useful part of Your Handiwork. Bind us with others so that we may dress the world in comfort, beauty, and peace.”