By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The ladies in the Prayers and Squares Quilt Ministry are not just making quilts, they are blanketing people with prayers.
The group, which is a ministry of Celebration Community Church in Hays, is comprised of women — some of whom drive hours to come to the monthly meetings to sew, fellowship and pray for people they often don't know and will never meet.
When the group started in 2010, it did not have access to a long-arm quilting machine, so the quilts were all hand tied. As the women tied each knot in the quilts, they said prayers for the recipients.
Many of these quilts went to the sick, and visitors and health care workers were also encouraged to tie knots in the quilts and say prayers for the owners.
"When this quilt is around you, you know that God is also wrapping His arms around you to give you courage, strength and His everlasting love," says the note that goes out with each prayer quilt.
Although now the group's quilts are machine-quilted for more durability, they still come with many prayers.
"We are passionate about a couple of things. We are passionate about the quilting, but also about the prayers," one of the group members said. "No quilt leaves without us praying for the people. There is nothing magical about the quilt. It is about the prayers."
The group's latest effort, which they call being the hands and feet of Jesus, was delivery of prayer quilts to all of the nursing home residents in Ellis County on Monday.
All 140 quilts were finished in a month and a half, some with bright Christmas colors to warm local elders this holiday season.
"We just want them to know they are cared for and loved and they've not been forgotten during this pandemic time," Amanda Gittinger, group leader, said.
Another recent project was Bless Our Heroes Prayer Patches, which were square hand-size quilt pieces that were given to area first responders. Each square was blessed with a prayer for the recipient.
The ministry, which is 13-members strong, has been very prolific. In its decade of service, the group has made and given away 563 prayer quilts.
The group has also created quilts for the Pregnancy Lifeline of Fort Worth, Texas, which gives quilts to mothers who choose to not abort their babies; Teresa Boos, a clinical social worker who gives quilts to veterans who struggle with PTSD; Quilts of Compassion, of Toledo, Ohio, which distributes quilts to hospitalized patients, as well as families recovering from natural disasters; and foster families within Celebration Community Church or families who adopt.
The group has also sewn items for RedeemUnited of Haiti, Celebration's food ministry, the local special needs community, Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes, pillowcase dresses for children in Africa and cloth face masks during the pandemic.
The group has created 1,000 items just this year.
The group has also taught sewing classes to girls. That has been put on hold since the pandemic, but the group hopes to resurrect the classes as pandemic restrictions ease.
"He gives us all talents and He expects us to use them," a group member said. "This is our talent."
Marilyn Gittinger, quilter, said the work is fulfilling.
The group receives thank you notes, especially from recipients of the patriotic quilts.
"You get the stories back about how grateful they are they were even considered worthy of receiving a quilt," a group member said. "That is just so heart-touching. It just makes you want to make more and help other people."
A note just came in from a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, who is now serving as a federal law enforcement officer.
Amanda Gittiner shared with the other group members the message on the card.
"I recently received a beautiful red, white and blue quit from Teresa [Boos]. It meant more to me than you may ever realize. Not only was it a true act of service, it was also beautifully made by caring and loving hands. I will proudly display and use this quilt daily.
Just like many other veterans and law enforcement officers, I often struggle with things I have experienced in the performance of my duties.
Receiving a gift such as this reminds me why I stepped up to serve my country and my community. It reminds me that we are not forgotten and the sacrifices that my brothers and sisters and I made are appreciated. May God bless the hands that made this quilt and all the ladies who have taken time to make a veteran feel the way I felt when I received this gift.
What you are doing matters. I pray that God will bless you and others who are impacted by your ministry.
There are two mother-daughter duos in the group, both of whom had few sewing skills when they joined the ministry.
Amanda Gittiner said she was terrified at first, starting in the group just tying quilts. Her mom, who is also in the group and drives in from Goodland for the group's monthly meetings, left her a sewing machine for Amanda when she got married.
"I got the bug," Amanda said.
Some of the fabric is donated. The ministry also received monetary donations and a budget from Celebration Community Church.
The women sew both together at month meetings and semi-annual retreats with what some call their "quilting family" as well as at home between meetings.
Since the group usually meets on weekends, they are sometimes called upon to sew on a button for a wedding parties or fix a hem. The ladies laughed as the recounted some of their needle-and-thread adventures.
"It is so rewarding to come when everything in the nation tends to be so negative," a group member said. "You can come here and it's like a therapy. You can come here and get renewed. Everything is positive. It is a great way to fellowship with other ladies and know you are making a difference."