This photo was taken yesterday at church during our Quilt Ministry workshop before we locked the closet doors and "closed up shop" for our summer break. We've been taking the summer months off since we began, almost thirteen years ago; I'm not really sure why we do that, it's not like we have small children at home, but it's fine with me that we do. (Our Senior Pastor happened to stop by at picture time, he comes downstairs for a short visit every week, but he's not a quilter!) When our Quilt Ministry began it was on a trial basis. I remember there being a certain hesitancy on the part of the church leadership at the time; not that there was ever any out and out opposition, but rather more of an attitude of let's wait and see what happens. We struggled, as a group, in the beginning; attendance was low and our working location was shifted from place to place, we scrounged around for a storage area for our supplies. Eventually, over time, acceptance came and the ministry grew; we were happy when we were granted a real closet in the same room where we set up and work, and downright giddy when we scored a second one! We are affirmed in our role as Quilt Ministers today, we have our own financial reserve and are recognized by the congregation as an active and vital group. Over this time period our Quilt Ministry membership has changed, we've mourned the loss of some and welcomed new quilters along the way, but the one thing that has never changed is our mutual respect and support of, and for, each other. Each and every one of the ladies I have worked with through this ministry has left an indelible imprint on my life. Since the Ministry's inception in January of 2001 God has been with us, guiding us, and binding us together into a solid team for His work.From our morning devotions today: "How often in your life has what appeared to be a brick wall actually been a fence around a new garden filled with wonderful opportunities? We never know where a simple decision might lead. Offering a greeting to a new person might lead to a great friendship. Going for a job interview might lead to a new way of life. Every day contains the possibility for a life-transforming encounter with God through some unanticipated new connection... ...the willingness to say "yes" is the invitation to be transformed".*
I cannot express the amount of joy and depth of the profound impact that our church's Quilt Ministry has had on my own life, I am grateful that God encouraged me in this leap of faith and stood behind me, preventing retreat, in those early years when pushing forward was tough going. Through perseverance and enormous support real-life transformation has occurred; I, for one, have the indelible imprints to prove it!
