'Blessing of the Quilts': An annual ritual

By Valerie Talsma

Special to The Globe

Ewen - The Blessing of the Quilts is an autumn ritual at many Lutheran churches in October each year.

At First Lutheran Church in Ewen, more than 90 brightly colored quilts were displayed throughout the sanctuary for this year's dedication before being transported out for use around the world.

Like the gospel story of "The Fishes and the Loaves," dedicated crafters transform a few scraps into comfort for thousands.

Year after year, the quilts are the product of an ecumenical labor of love from area churches. Participants gather on Wednesday mornings at First Lutheran to cut, pin, sew, layer, bind and tie coverings for people in need. Other crafters work in their homes to piece and sew the quilt tops.

Mary Beth DeBonis, one of the Wednesday morning quilters, explained that community members donated materials for the quilt tops, as well as bed sheets for the quilt backs. Money donated to  WELCA (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church) is used to purchase the quilt batting and other supplies.

The "blessing" is just the first stop on the journey these quilts will make.

Last Saturday, the quilts traveled to Zion Lutheran Church in Ironwood. On the way, they were joined by another 100 quilts sewn by the East Shore Quilters on Lake Gogebic under the guidance of Toni Applekamp.

At the Ironwood gathering, where Mary Hitt was the site coordinator, hundreds of quilts were loaded onto a truck furnished by Hitts Furniture for a trip to St. Paul, Minn.

From there, the quilts will be dispersed through Lutheran Disaster Relief - Lutheran World Relief® and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service - to disaster areas and refugee camps around the world.

The Port of Baltimore is the starting point for most international shipments of Lutheran World Relief Quilts and Kits. From here, seafarers from all over the world transport them to ports in Africa, Asia, Latin America and beyond.

Lutheran Mission Quilts are highly regarded throughout the world because of their quality and consistency. The quilts can be used as warm bedding, simple tents or floor coverings. Each one is intended to reflect God's loving presence in a world rife with suffering.

The quilts also create a tangible, lasting bond between those who assemble them and those who receive them in their greatest times of need. In 2023, a total of 551,700 quilts and kits reached neighbors in 14 countries from Angola to the Ukraine.

Here in the United States, LWR also responds to domestic needs.

Earlier this year, on March 26, the cargo ship, Dali, crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, destroying the bridge and closing the Port of Baltimore. The wreckage trapped 10 ships and their crews in the port for several weeks after the disaster. These were crews that were ill-prepared for an extended stay and yet who were trapped onboard their vessels.

With dozens of seafarers trapped in their backyard, LWR partnered with the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center to distribute quilts and hygiene kits. In total, more than 150 quilts and personal care kits were distributed across seven ships.

In addition, in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, quilts and kits are being offered to residents who lost homes and/or possessions.

In fact, under the leadership of Martha Piedrasanta, who manages LWR's Quilt and Kit Ministry, LWR is committed to sending a minimum of 10 truckloads of LWR quilts and kits to affected communities in North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. More will be mobilized as needed.

LWR is also sending cash grants to distribute food, water and other urgently needed supplies to provide comfort and dignity to families during their time of need.

Community members can donate to the LWR relief effort through their local Lutheran congregation or via the LWR website.

Of the quilts that stay behind at First Lutheran, a few will be raffled off for fundraisers for local charities like Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp and the St. Nicholas Project of Ontonagon County.

Other quilts will be donated directly to shut-ins, community members who are ill, families that have lost their home to fire or natural disasters, and other local needs.

Quilt makers believe that a quilt is a perfect metaphor to describe the church: A patchwork of colorful characters, some perhaps a bit frayed on the edges, who are sewn together by the love of God and with the Holy Spirit threaded through us all.

The First Lutheran Church of Ewen is part of the New Evangelical Lutheran Parish, which also includes Our Saviour Lutheran in Paynesville and Trinity Lutheran in Trout Creek. The Rev. Kay Richter pastors the parish.

Editor's Note: Valerie Talsma is a resident of Bruce Crossing.