- March 29, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Living Lord Lutheran Church Pastor Ed Holloway and his wife Marsha Holloway were in Africa for three months beginning in January 2000, with Ed preaching at different congregations all over Tanzania.
At one stop, a beautiful quilt caught the Holloways' attention.
“We saw the Lutheran World Relief quilts being used,” Marsha Holloway said. “I mean, I got goosebumps.”
Yes, the kindness and talents of a group of quilters can make an impact all over the world.
It was a shock to her that the quilts would show up in Africa, but there they were.
Marsha Holloway is hoping others in East County can get those goosebumps, too.
The quilters group at Living Lord Lutheran Church is down to eight active members and the Holloways are looking for others to join, regardless of quilting ability or their church affiliation.
Last week, in a sunlit room in the church, fabric scraps of all patterns and colors had been carefully chosen and placed to be sewn together and sent off from that workroom to nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and distant communities across the globe.
The work is inspired by A Stitch and A Prayer, the crafting group that has created and donated various quilts since 2018.
“A prayer shawl is a shawl that either gets knitted or crocheted, and there's a prayer said for it,” said Sue Chan, who is a member of Living Lord's A Stitch and a Prayer group.
Chan said the group originally was formed as a prayer shawl ministry.
“It's given to somebody to cover them in Christ's love, to let them know that they're not alone, that there are people who care for them,” Chan said about the quilts that have been made and sent out.
Ever since the group's inception, prayer shawls have been sent to anywhere they could give comfort.
Marsha Holloway and fellow Living Lord Lutheran member Kathy Schimmoller originally had quilted together before A Stitch and a Prayer was formed at the church. Holloway and Schimmoller now do it all — quilting, sewing and crocheting — with others in the group.
The members emphasize the group is for everyone, with no experience required.
They said the main ingredient is a love for helping others who would benefit by the group's work.
“We have people cutting, we have people tying, we have people putting the patterns together,” Chan said. “So we always welcome new people to come in, and you don't have to be a member.”
“We've learned to do (different tasks), and it just works out fabulous,” Schimmoller said. “There's a real system to it, all all these people help us.”
Schimmoller said they recently had a new member, Debbie Mueller, join the group. Mueller was so thrilled to be part of the group that she cried. Then after Mueller missed one of the meetings, she called to apologize.
“Her passion is just so sweet,” Schimmoller said.
Schimmoller estimated they have made between 110 to 120 large quilts since 2022. As a Lutheran Church, they work with Lutheran World Relief to find those in need of quilts overseas.
A Stitch and A Prayer works with materials that often are used or donated.
The group holds fundraisers and the church's parishioners provide support as well. Often materials are purchased with the members' own money. But the members keep the costs down by looking through thrift stores and garage sales.
“We always find these little hole-in-the-wall places for sheets that are cheap,” Schimmoller said.
Holloway said she buys batting at Hobby Lobby when it is 40% off. The batting is the material used in the quilt to provide insulation and dimension.
“The money that comes in is pretty much totally spent on the batting,” Schimmoller said.
Holloway said that she took a trip to Atlanta, and shopped at outlet stores and brought back over $300 worth of fabric for the quilts, which she felt was an exceptional bargain.
Chan said current members of the group are so talented they can make beautiful quilts on whatever materials they find. When there are scraps left over, they make mini quilts and other items.
“I'll tell all my neighbors around me to not throw away tablecloths, because I can use those for squares,” Schimmoller said.
Holloway said at the current time, they have run out of fabric to cut and only have precut squares.
“We've got months of work to do, but yeah, we're out of fabric to cut,” Holloway said.
Holloway said the club often benefits when elderly quilters or sewers donate their “stash” when they no longer need the fabric or just want to get rid of things.
“That's where the vast majority of our fabric hardware comes in,” Holloway said.
Holloway emphasized that any and all donations are appreciated and accepted.
“And if you are homebound, we’re happy to come and pick it up,” Chan said.
To donate or join A Stitch and A Prayer, contact Living Lord Lutheran Church at 753-9365.
“We're just so happy that we're able to meet every week, and it's great fellowship and great friendship,” Chan said.
