Article written by Wren Murphy for the Madison Daily Leader, August 17, 2024
Thank you, Grace Episcopal Church, Madison
Eighteen blocks, eighteen churches, plus the ones who put it all together. That's who created the quilt that will be raffled off by the Madison Area Ministerial Association (MAMA) this year.
The quilt raffle started in 2016 as a way to raise money for MAMA, which has a fund with the Interlakes Community Action Partnership that is used to help people with rent and utility assistance as well as emergencies.
Tickets are $5 each or five for $20, and the winning ticket will be drawn after the community Thanksgiving eve service. As of Aug. 16, it is on display at St. John Lutheran Church in Madison, but it will rotate between different area churches and businesses to encourage more people to purchase tickets, organizers said.
LOCAL CHURCH LEADERS and churchgoers pose during the Madison Area Ministerial Association's Aug. 15 meeting with a collectively-created quilt that will be raffled off later this year. They include, top, left, Kathy Sullivan of River of Life Christian Fellowship in Madison, Karl Breddin of St. John Lutheran Church in Madison, Leif Johnson of Bethany Lutheran Church in Howard, Peggy Hanson of United Methodist Church in Madison; front, Dan Bohl of First Presbyterian Church in Madison; top, right, James Foster of Grace Episcopal Church in Madison, Ross Youmans of Abundant Life Church in Madison; front, left, Wanda Biel of Oldham Lutheran Church in Oldham and St. John Lutheran Church in Ramona, and Michele Keppen of Grace Episcopal Church in Madison.
She said MAMA started gathering blocks in April and received the last one in July.
Grace Episcopal's block features a pelican. While the Saturday sowing group initially wanted to recreate a pelican on the church's stained glass window, she said they realized that was a bit out of their skill level. So, the group simplified the design and had one of their members paint on the block to give it more detail.
"We all just put them on the floor and moved them around and said, 'Oh, no, it's too dark in this corner," Keppen said, laughing. "That's how we did it. We had no idea what we were going to end up with."
THIS QUILT, created by eighteen churches, will be raffled to raise funds for the Madison Area Ministerial Association in November. It is currently on display at St. John Lutheran Church in Madison.
"We all are just so happy about how it turned out. Because again, we had no idea what to expect. We came up with this brilliant idea without really thinking it too terribly through," she said.
Rev. Karl Breddin of St. John Lutheran Church said he was a bit skeptical of the idea when he first heard it. Breddin will be the president of MAMA for another month.
"I'm sure it'll be a curiosity as it goes from church to church as people go to find the block their church provided. It's great. It's really neat," Breddin said. "Lots and lots of hours went into it."
Keppen said about $2,000 is the target amount for this raffle, and Breddin said it's a good way for local churches to pool their resources.
"It's a really nice way for churches to help respond to needs without churches being inundated or having an overlap of services," Breddin said.
For Keppen, the effort represents the Christian spirit of giving and community. It is also a way for average churchgoers to contribute to MAMA, which is made up of local church leaders.
"That's the clergy of all the different churches, whereas this is just the regular people, not just the Catholics or the Lutherans. It's everyone. Even the tiny churches submitted a block. It's just regular people coming together, and the proceeds will go to people who we have no idea who they are," she said. "I think God is smiling at this."
THESE BLOCKS feature work from Grace Episcopal Church, right, and Living Hope Wesleyan Church and appear on the second-from-bottom row on the Madison Area Ministerial Association's quilt. Photo by Wren Murphy
THESE BLOCKS from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, left, and First Presbyterian Church in Madison are in the second-from-top row on the Madison Area Ministerial Association's quilt, which will be raffled this year. Photo by Wren Murphy