Quilt Books for a Christmas Gift

My Christmas List of Blessings

Thank you, Mary Ella, for sharing:

My Christmas list is more
than a way to keep track of
The special people God as brought
into my life to love.

It's like a treasured scrapbook
filled with pleasant memories
Of all the times God's answered prayers
through friends and family.

Every name's a touchstone
that leads to a place and time
Where God has used another's heart
to reach out and touch mine.

It may have happened years ago
or even yesterday,
But every person on my list
has changed my life some way.

Through simple conversation,
a warm hug or a shared meal,
Every person on my list
has helped me grow or heal.

Or laugh or love or learn or smile...
the blessings never end
As God allows our paths to cross
as family and friends.

So please know that this greeting
is more than a Christmas wish.
It's a "Thank you" card to God
for putting on my list,
each and every one whose name
I've come to hold so dear...
Those who've shown me Christmas joy all year.

Theme for 2010: Peace

For 2010, MCC has asked Love Joy Piece to focus on the themes of: 1) Peace; 2) AIDS; 3) Global Family and 4) Food/Agriculture and Water.
LJP has chosen to focus on one of those themes for 2010 with the focus on “Peace”. The symbol is “the dove” and we ask you to submit a quilt block with a dove. With your creativity and the symbol being smaller or bigger, no specific size requirements are being given. You decide what size your block should be and the design of the Traveling Quilts will be designed and created. Once blocks are received, a traveling quilt will be available in the United States and Canada this year. Please send your blocks to Bev or Marlys. Last year, a deadline for the US traveling quilt was met but couldn’t include your blocks. Your involvement in a traveling quilt is so important to bringing awareness and excitement to a Traveling Quilt.
The theme of “Peace” has many meanings and begins in our homes. Our goal is to bring awareness and reduce violence and sexual abuse in our communities, in our countries, and around the world. Being in Bolivia this summer, the Mennonite Colonies families suffered from the acts of violence and the communities suffered as the news traveled the globe. “Peace”, as we also remember so many people living in war torn countries.
We look forward to your creations and involvement in making a Traveling quilt happen. In the US, Texas has the first sale of the year in February and Canada’s first sale is in April. We look forward to your blocks to have a Traveling Quilt for the Relief Sales!


“Peace” Block Instructions:
Blocks will be used to make a US and Canadian Traveling Quilts for MCC Relief Sales use.
When: Immediately – make it a special Christmas project with your family and/or church group.
Size: To fit your project
We encourage hand or machine work, appliqué or pieced, or colored (from the children)
We ask for your quality blocks, whether complex or simple.
Time Period: Collecting throughout 2010

Kick Off for Minnesota's: "Bread for All" Theme

“Bread for All” Intergenerational Sunday School Experience


A Planning Committee composed of members from Emmanuel and Faith Mennonite Churches in the Twin Cities have been planning an Intergeneration, Sunday School hour to highlight the “Bread for All” auction segment at the November TCMCC.

The cooperative planning and implementation are designed to provide the intergeneration Sunday school experience for both congregations. The purpose of the Sunday school hour is to learn about the struggle for food and injustices and to focus on how to best use our wealth of finances, resources and knowledge to alleviate suffering throughout the world. The bread and basket theme for the TCMCC sale is based on John 6 and the feeding of the 5,000. This theme will be woven through the auction activities but will be especially prevalent during the 1:00-1:30 “Bread for All” segment. The money raised during that time will go to the Kenya food project.

On the scheduled Sunday, the morning worship will incorporate the “Bread for All” theme. After the worship hour, all ages will gather in the fellowship area to participate in various, center activities. These will include basket weaving, a science experiment, involving yeast, and a MCC, information video, a representative from a local, homeless shelter and an Ethiopian Injera demonstration. Browsing centers will provide resource books and a preview of the “Bread for All” sales item.

A simple, meal of soup and bread will provide a time of fellowship and sharing. A gift of a dinner bun and card with a Columbian table grace will be sent home with each participant as an ongoing reminder of the link between peace and justice.

A Story That Goes Round in Circles

NEWSLETTER
FIRST MENNONITE CHURCH
NOVEMBER 2009
BOX 473
305 NORTH 7TH STREET
MOUNTAIN LAKE, MN 56159
ELAINE KAUFFMAN, PASTOR
seekfrst@frontiernet.net

PASTOR’S PAGE

A STORY THAT GOES ROUND IN CIRCLES
or
When We All Work Together

It’s hard to know where to begin when a story goes in such circles. I guess the best I can do is probably to tell the story as I learned it…
I’ve been going to the Twin Cities MCC sale as often as possible since it began. Colleen Graber works with children’s activities at that Sale. I had first learned to know Colleen because she was related to someone in the First Mennonite Church of Mountain Lake congregation. So now it’s always fun to poke my head in and see what she’s cooked up for the kids to do at the Twin Cities Sale… even if I’m not a kid nor have any kids to get involved there.
Last year Colleen asked me if any of our ladies liked to sew kit bags. One of the activities for the children was to assemble school kit materials, but then she always needed bags to put them in.
Well, I knew that MaJean Heide, who lives in Sioux Falls, likes to sew these bags. How many has she already sewn for us? We were so impressed with the ones made of “parachute” nylon. I don’t know if parachute nylon is even the right term for it, but it was something like that.
So one time when I talked to MaJean I mentioned this need for kit bags. Then I kind of forgot about it. Well, I didn’t exactly forget, but I let it go and didn’t really think about it as I had made the contact I thought might bear fruit.
MaJean loves to hear the hum of the sewing machine as she puts together pieces that match and contrast making useful totes for such things as school kits and health kits. This year she had no parachute material, but she had a whole lot of upholstery samples. Methinks that must be a little more work to sew, so my hat’s off to MaJean. My hat’s off in any event because I am not much of a seamstress!
This fall MaJean called me and asked if I thought 50 bags would be good for Colleen. I couldn’t remember what, if any, number Colleen and I had discussed, but I thought 50 would probably be a gracious plenty. I asked Mary and Martin Harder if they would take the bags from Mountain Lake to the Twin Cities MCC Sale. If you know the Harders, you already are sure the answer was in the positive. Of course, they would take the bags along; they actually do a good bit of transport from Mountain Lake for that sale. Hats off, again!
Now comes the fun part!
When MaJean brought me the bags to send to Colleen, she told me they were made from upholstery material that Edie Tschetter had provided. Apparently, Edie also knew that MaJean sews kit bags. Over the years that Edie was in the MCC office in Freeman (MCC Central States, Northern Tier), she received sample materials that a Mennonite business woman would send to Freeman—to the MCC stockroom and to Freeman’s Et Cetera Shoppe—from her business in the Twin Cities. She often had a lot of upholstery samples that are useful for a variety of projects. They make wonderful kit bags.
Twin Cities made my ears perk up. How about that! The woman from the Twin Cities was none other than Marlys Wiens, one of the people involved from the very start in establishing the Twin Cities MCC Sale. Marlys continues to support, help plan and staff the sale. She also works with MCC in other ways, including a web-log with MCC stories. The stories are found at lovejoypiece.blogspot.com for those who may like to check it out.
So the story comes full circle! Colleen has school kit bags for the children’s activities, the upholstery samples have a new, useful life, and the rest of us have had a whole lot of fun making connections in the journey from upholstery sample to school kit. Wouldn’t it be fun if one of those kit bags could talk and tell us the story of its travels?
-- Elaine Kauffman

I thank my God every time I remember you,
constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you,
because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work among you
will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:3-6

Mennonite World Conference Story: Global Family in The Chico, Paraguay

Below is a story from a visit to a Global Family Project in Paraguay:

The Global Family Program is a Mennonite Central Committee initiative aimed at improving life in individuals and communities through education. Programs are created to provide safe learning opportunities for children and youth, and to build confidence and skills in the students.

One such program exists in Paraguay, where Mennonite colonies in the Chaco have developed a boarding school in the indigenous community of Yalve Sanga. Students come from poor homes – parents pay what they can and Global Family funds pay the remainder. Student housing is available in the community, so that the students, of Latin Paraguayan and indigenous backgrounds, can live in the community and participate in all aspects of the school program.

On our way to Mennonite World Conference in Asunción, we toured some of the Mennonite colonies in the Chaco. One of our stops was Yalve Sanga, where we saw the hospital, the school, dormitories and teachers’ lodgings. The buildings and grounds are attractive and well-maintained. Cement sidewalks connect the school classrooms and medical buildings to one another. Time constraints kept us from touring the inside of these buildings.

We were also treated to a hot meal and Paraguayan music played by a group of men of the Nivaclé indigenous tribe. After lunch our tour guide interviewed one of the musicians in Plattdeutsch, the language spoken in the colonies by the German Mennonites and their indigenous neighbours. I appreciated having the opportunity to see first-hand how the church is working alongside indigenous people to provide education to its children and youth.

by: E. Tewes, Ontario

The different a Selvage can make: PURSES!

Talk about laugher and fun at the North American Relief Sale meetings in Iowa City when we started talking "Green"! What can a selvage do? "You throw them away", was the first response. The crochet hook was moving right along as Marlys's friend had supplied balls of selvages from their quilt borders. The result: Bags and Purses! Each one was different: Bags with fabric handles for over the shoulder to Clutch Handbags. As the ideas and suggestions came, each purse was different. (The crochet hook is still going, too).

We also were reminded of "One selvage can make a difference". Purses were sold for a donation to MCC and selvages have brought in over $100! (That's a third of a child's education with Global Family). Yes, the Global Family Program has a special place in my heart after spending time two years ago in India, meeting the gal I sponsor, Rita, and becoming friends with the fantastic MCC staff in Kulkutta, India!

Blessings,
Marlys

Framed House Block Hand and Machine Quilted

The block came with a story with the purchase of a HUD Home and a celebration of dates. MCC celebrates more then making and giving houses globally, we also support our local needs and achievements. This is an example of a quilt block become a piece of "Framed Art" and was auctioned at a MCC Relief Sale.

Colored House Blocks "with a story"!

These blocks are colored and there are probably 10 to 12 of them. Some have an horse pulling a sled which reminds me of being in the Amish communities as the coloring is so very soft. Some of the blocks are bolder as seen in the attachments today. These blocks are available from Marlys at the Blogs contact email address or the Love Joy Piece chatline.

PA "House" Block Quilt with Hut Boarder Fabric - Available for Relief Sale

This quilt is available for a Relief Sale and is currently being hand quilted. It resembles the House Traveling Quilt that was sold last year. This quilt has 6 blocks instead of the 9 in the Traveling Quilt and uses the same "Hut" fabric. See the November 2008 for stories from the Traveling Quilt.

Purses and/or Bags: From Heart and House Block

Here are some different types of bags that have been made using the Heart and House blocks. They have been sold at pre-event sales and also during MCC Auctions. There are many patterns available and with a little creativity and interesting fabrics, we hear "I want that" and that makes it all interesting!

Canadian House Block Quilt

We are celebrating the first Canadian Block Quilt to the Blog and it's made from Baskets Bev received. This "Traveling Quilt" is available for MCC Relief Sales in Canada as it travels to the various Relief Sales collecting donations but the quilt is not sold. If interested in the quilt, please contact Bev or the Hartzlers, North America MCC Relief Sale Coordinators.

Basket Quilt with Blocks on Point - Minot, North Dakota

The Basket Block from individuals around the United States will be quilted and auctioned in Minot, North Dakota, in March or April of 2010. The Mott's picked the Minot quilt top. The quilt may have an additional boarder to accent the teal blue Cherrywood Fabric (thank you Cherrywood for your donation). The beauty of Cherrywood fabrics is that the cotton looks like suede.

In March or April 2010, women will be hand quilting the quilt during the auction and at some point the quilt will be auctioned. If it is not completely quilted, the new owner will receive the finished quilt in the next few weeks. We look forward to a finished picture of the quilt and the financial benefit to MCC from Upper Midwest Relief Sale in 2010.

Questions regarding the Upper Midwest Relief Sale, please contact Larry Muff at 218-983-3376 or borse@minot.com

House Quilt to be auctioned at the Arthur, Illinois

Blocks from around the United States were made into a quilt top and the House Block Quilt will be auctioned at the Arthur, Illinois, MCC Relief Sale on August 28 to 29, 2009. Questions about the sale, please contact: Steve Miller at 217-543-2841 or prairienet.org/arthurreliefsale.

To the Arthur Sale, it was great to see you at the MCC Relief Sale Meetings in Iowa City, Iowa in May and watch you pick the House Block Quilt that was "meant" for Arthur. We pray God's blessings.

Basket Quilt

The creativity of the makers and donors of the House Blocks for this quilt was quite exciting. Can you find the quilt block you made? One blocks lists a country in Africa. The Quilt celebrates the purpose of individuality of the maker and the individuals that will benefit from the quilt and the funds the quilt will raise!

The House Quilt was designed from the book: Log Cabin Quilts with Attitude by Sharon Rotz. Looking at the book and looking at the quilt - it was a stretch in creativity by Marlys with the encouragement of friends Lorna, Annette, Linda, Kathy, Therese and a few more quilting friend at a Quilt Retreat near Pequot Lakes, Minnesota in March 2009.

The quilt is currently in Versailles, Missouri, scheduled for hand quilting this summer or fall.

Which Relief Sale will Auction the quilt? We are waiting to hear the result and we will post the result when the information is available.

"May the Lord repay you for what you have done."

7 blocks were received from Margaret from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, for the "Food for All" quilts.

Sharon from Marion, PA

Basket Block for "Food for All" quilt.

Thelma from Kansas

Thelma from Kansas sent three blocks and I'm having a hard time getting the photos posted. Enjoy, anyway!

Basket Block: Helen from Illinois

Margaret from Pandora, Ohio

Betty from Washington State:

I hope this block will work with your quilt plan.

We belong to the Mennonite Church at Warden, Washington, and help with the Sale at Ritzville, Washington, which is held the first Saturday in October.

I always help with the quilts at the sale. Keep up the good work.

Quilt Block from New York State

Quilt block is of vintage fabric.  

Mother and Daughter Team Up

"My mother in Indiana is sending you a quilt block, so I thought I'd contribute one, too.  It was fun to make.

I hope you have many beautiful blocks to work with, with a gorgeous completed quilt!

Quilts are my passion!"

(The mother and daughter sent blocks on different days 

and arrived in Minnesota the same day.) 

Congolese Fabrics for MCC Traveling Basket Quilt

I returned from two years in Zaire 1972 with many meters of fabric which I learned to love for its beauty and practicality. We called it Java print. A few yearsago I realized that what I had not used for clothes or tablecloths would be welcomed by the TCMCC Sale quilters. Thanks to Marlys there are now two or three quilts.

Beautiful colorful textiles are produced from 100% cotton fabric, wax-dyed in brilliant colors and patterns unique to the Congo. Women wear long dresses with detail work and then cover the skirt of their dress with a pagne: a piece wrapped around and tucked in the band to anchor it around the waist. The pagne is a versatile piece which is part of the dress but removable and used as a shawl or worn over the head as a cover from the sun or rain. It can be wrapped around an infant and tied on the mother’s back, leaving her hands free. The pagne is worn as an honor by married women.

The fabric can be bought at the market where women are selling it in 6-yard lengths; I believe the cost was $6 in 1972.

I have found no fabric more comfortable in hot weather.

Lois

Akron, PA

"Thank you for initiating this project.  I hope we get to see the quilt somewhere.  Have fun putting it together."

"Scrap Basket" from Susquehanna, PA

Snowbirds from Minnesota in Florida Donate Blocks

From: Souderton, PA

Traveling Basket Quilt - Waiting to be hand quilted

In January 2009, the "top" of the  Traveling Basket Quilt for the United States has been completed and is being quilted at the Material Warehouse Quilt Room in Akron, Pennsylvania.

The Quilt Pattern is available through Love, Joy, Piece as the designer is Mountain Rose Quilt Company of Calgary, Alberta.  The quilt uses fabrics from Congo, Africa, donated by former MCC Workers, Art and Lois and the hand died blues and gold are donated by Cherrywood Fabrics of Brainerd, Minnesota.  The pattern was donated by Lorna of Farm Quilt Haus, Staples, Minnesota, and Marlys, MCC's Love, Joy, Piece editor did the piecing.

As Basket Blocks are received from around the world, blocks and/or quilts will be available for MCC Relief Sales around the United States and Canada.