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Comforts

Every quilt has a story. Quilting retreats at NovusWay camps help people share their stories.

In February, quilters from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina, attended the Quilting Bee Retreat at Lutheranch. The three-day event gave participants the opportunity to try out new projects as well as work on things they brought from home.

One of the most meaningful parts of the quilting retreat was the intentional time set aside for people to share about quilts and projects that are important to them. “There is a lot of show and tell,” explains Holly Anderson, who helped lead the retreat. “One evening, people bring a quilt from home that has a story or is special to them. At the end of the retreat, we have a show and tell of what everyone has accomplished during our time together.”

For Holly, retreats like this gathering at Lutheranch stir up her passion for quilting and for connecting with others. “I love quilting,” Holly says. “I love the history behind it. I love that it touches people. Quilting is a great way to reach out to others. Often, the experiences that are shared create opportunities to care for each other.”

Mona Henderson, who attended the Quilting Bee Retreat from South Carolina, loved connecting as well. “It was very inspiring,” Mona says. “You see what other people are doing and it encourages you to do more. I came away from the retreat with new energy.”

During one of the show and tell times, Mona shared a quilt her mom had started years ago which Mona has now completed. “I took all these memories and pieces of fabric that she had saved and I added some of my own,” Mona says. “I loved sharing the story of this quilt with everyone.”

The quilts made by those who attend events like the Quilting Bee Retreat often become gifts for others. To Holly, that is one of the most inspiring parts of the groups’ work. “Sometimes quilts are referred to as comforts,” she says. “And many of us want to share these comforts with family or with others in need.”

One of the quilts Holly has shared hangs in a gathering room at Lutheranch’s McKanna-Sandrock Retreat Center. On the quilt are the words from Psalm 23, He restores my soul. “That’s what I get from quilting,” Holly says. “The people, inspired by one another, are a comfort to the soul.”

Your gifts to NovusWay Ministries support retreats where people of all ages grow in faith and experience the blessings of community. Thank you!