THE CHURCH
Grover Park Baptist Church in Warrensburg, Missouri
THE CHALLENGE
Find God’s will for how a sewing group could serve him
ONE BIG IDEA
Start a quilting ministry to comfort those in times of uncertainty.
What started as a monthly sewing club is now a thriving ministry at Grover Park Baptist Church in Warrensburg, Missouri.
Two years ago, club co-leaders Pat Breon and Shirley Moore were inspired to use their talents to serve God and others, but they weren’t sure what that would look like.
Breon told the ladies, “God is moving me to find out what we can do with our ministry. I think we have something here. We need to pray about it.” So the women began to ask for God’s guidance.
One day, a group member alerted them to an upcoming auction benefitting Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (MBCH), an agency that offers foster care services, counseling, pregnancy resources and more to families in the Bridgeton, Missouri, region. And the women knew this was an answer to their prayers.
“We all got excited and decided to take baby quilts to the auction,” Moore asserts. “We got on the bus with 18 church members and took 70 quilts with us.”
At auction, the quilts go for hundreds or even thousands of dollars that directly help women and children in need, providing funds for baby and maternity items at the pregnancy resource center.
Today, about 20 women meet for “Pat’s Saturday Sew Day” to make quilts that provide comfort for foster children and single moms experiencing difficult times. With nearly 2,000 families served each year through MBCH, plenty of opportunities exist for the quilting ministry to bless those who are hurting. The women make twin- and full-size quilts, maternity and baby quilts, as well as burp cloths. The group prays over every quilt that is distributed and asks God to use them for his glory. So far, the group has donated 383 quilts.
Most of all, the women hope the quilts help during times that can feel uncertain in the lives of foster kids and single moms.
“We are so surprised that God answered our prayer about this ministry, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything,” Breon adds.