Corpus Christi quilt ministry members
say prayers for recipients while stitching

By Rose Newman & Marcia Pilbin
Prayer Quilt Ministry
The Prayer Quilt Ministry is an outreach ministry started in the fall of 2004 at First UMC, Corpus Christi. It was started by Deanne Leonard and Julie McLauchlin. Marcia Pilbin is the current facilitator.
Members of the congregation were eager not only to serve but to donate fabric, thread, sewing supplies and monetary gifts to help the ministry get started. These gifts were and are, even today, greatly appreciated and welcomed. The mission of this ministry is to spread God’s love to all through prayer.
Each quilt has 49 colorful squares. They are very lovingly sewn together. The finished quilt tops are assembled with batting and backing, and then the three layers are sewn together.
Finally, the quilts are hand tied with cotton thread using a square knot. As quilters tie the knots, they silently pray that the recipient will feel the love of our Heavenly Father and that the prayer quilt will be a comfort to him or her.
What makes these quilts special is not the color or the workmanship but that prayer is symbolically tied into each one. They are a reminder of God’s ever-present love, which is as near to one as one’s own body is to the spirit.
Under the guidance of spiritual leader and adviser Margret Simon (retired diaconal minister) and our many faithful Prayer Quilt Ministry members, the group has made and given out more than 200 quilts for many reasons. Each goes to someone in special need of comfort and the loving embrace of prayers. These prayer quilts are available to all.
We invite you to join us. These quilts are a vehicle for prayer, a vehicle for God’s love.
We are reminded of the words of John Wesley:
Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can.