Many little hands, one purpose

Several quilts will be auctioned off at the Dakota Marketplace on September 20, 2014 at Sioux Falls First United Methodist Church (UMC).    A special quilt created by the Son Seekers campers will be auctioned off.  A quilt that has touched the lives of many Dakotas Conference children, adults, and even remote regions of the world.

The Son Seekers' quilt may be the first of its kind created by a group of United Methodist campers. Son Seekers is a camping experience for children, kindergarten throught third grade at Lake Poinsett Center.  Natalie Piehl, the quilt project leader, had created quilts with her Sunday school class while at Arlington UMC,  however Piehl had never done this type of a project with a diverse group of campers. Campers created a bright square while at camp, and after camp Piehl spent many hours assembling the pieces into a large quilt.

Peihl believes quilts help to make connections and create meaning for people.  One of Piehl's most touching memories of quilting came a few years ago, when a Sunday school co-teacher at the Mitchell First UMC became terminally ill.

“The fifth-grade students and I created a quilt as a fundraiser for her. The family that bought the quilt then gave it to her. When she went into hospice, she had the quilt with her, and it was with her up to the time of her death. That made a big impact on the kids.”

 “It’s just a little way the kids can have a ‘hands-on’ and kind of see what a little thing like this can do to help make someone feel better, to brighten their day, and let them know that they’re loved during a hard time,” Piehl said, “and that’s the beauty of this [quilt].”

The theme for the Son Seeker camp this year was In God’s Time, and included five lessons, each associated with the church year: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. The last lesson on Pentecost was the impetus for the quilt project, to help the kids understand that God wants us to go out into the world and make a difference. Piehl told the campers, “He wants us to share His Word and Jesus’ life with everyone.”

By bringing the bright colors associated with Pentecost into the quilt’s design, she felt this would be a good fit for the auction and the kids, to know they’ve created something like this to go out into the world and share God’s love. Her campers were receptive to the plan and it was fun for them. The quilt became a group project they could all participate in.

Going to market

Piehl and her grandson, each made a square for the quilt.  The two are taking the quilt to the Dakota Marketplace at Sioux Falls First UMC, Saturday, Sept. 20th. They are planning to check out the whole event, including the auction and the games for kids. Piehl said she enjoys the fellowship at this event, and the purpose.

The hope is to contact the kids who made squares for the quilt and report what the auction results are.  Piehl hopes to report, where the quilt is,  and how it will continue to spread God’s word.

The campers signed the backside of the quilt, so perhaps someday when they are adults, the kids might cross paths with the quilt and see their names on the back.