The Women in Mission at Grace Mennonite Church, Steinbach, Man., have been putting together blankets for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) for many years. The local MCC Thrift Store and people from the church donate quilt tops, fabric for the backing and used sheets etc. for the filler. Peter Dick, a retired school teacher, has taken up sewing as his retirement project and he sews most of our blanket tops.
For the month of January, Mel Letkeman, our pastor, used James 2:14-17 as his theme for Sunday morning worship. When the earthquake struck in Haiti on January 12, he challenged the congregation to make blankets for Haiti. Schedules were set up and different groups came to the church and tied the blankets. The Junior and Senior youth groups, Sunday School classes, small groups and many individuals all came and got involved. There was usually food, much laughter and many sore fingers.
At the end of each evening, the completed blankets were carried up to the sanctuary and artfully arranged by Elsie Kroeker and Vi Kreutzer, forming a beautiful colourful backdrop on the podium at the front of the church. Within three weeks, about 100 different individuals helped to complete 110 blankets!
The blankets have been taken to MCC and we miss them. However, for those who helped complete this project, it is satisfying to know that these blankets are keeping many people warm and that we at Grace Mennonite had the opportunity to sew and laugh with each other.
Written by Irene Rempel
Photo by Elsie Kroeker
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