One More Quilt: A Story of Life
Chapter Six: Pilgrim Fellowship

Prayer: Eternal God, Sower of good seed, by whose word we are equipped for fruitful living, we long to be the good soil in which your truth can take root. In the reading of the Scripture, may your Word be heard; in the mediations of our hearts, may your Word be known; and in the faithfulness of our lives, may your Word be shown, today and always. Amen.

One day, not too long ago, I spent a lovely afternoon with Gen Bailey. We went out to lunch and then Gen invited me to come in to see the quilting projects she's been working on. I was awestruck at the scope of her production. She was making quilts for her children, quilts for her nieces, quilts for the Pilgrim Fellowship auction, quilts as gifts. Then she showed me a pile of older quilts she'd made, all lovingly stitched, one more beautiful than the next. Some of you may be the proud owners of a Gen Bailey quilt. I'm lucky enough to be, although when I purchased a quilt Gen made last year for the Pilgrim Fellowship auction, I had every intention of giving it to a French friend and quilt lover this past Christmas. But as I got to know Gen better and as Christmas approached, I knew I couldn't give away the quilt that now graces our living room and which reminds me every day as I pass by it of this remarkable woman. I told Gen that one day, in her honor, I would preach a sermon about quilting, and today's the day!

Quilts are made for many reasons…to keep you warm, to use up scraps of fabric, to bring beauty to one's surroundings, to honor people, to remember others, to raise money for good causes and to show caring in a tangible, tactile way to loved ones. Less frequently, quilts are used as sermon illustrations or in parables. Jesus taught in parables, comparing the realm of God, at different times, to a mustard seed, leaven, a vinyard, and a fishing net. To my knowledge, Jesus never compared God's reign to a quilt, but I'd like to do that today.

Just as an aside, I've also explained to people who come to Bible study on Tuesday mornings that sermon writing is also like quilting. When I prepare a sermon, I grab an old quote or poem from one place, I fine a new article in the paper to illustrate a point and cut it out, a joke will come to me via e-mail, I have an encounter with a parishioner or someone else during the week which fits right into my sermon. And I take all these things along with my reflections on the text and the research that I've done and I piece them together to form a harmonious whole, not unlike what Gen has done when she makes a quilt. And the good news, acccording to St. Teresa of Avila, which serves as our quiet meditation today, is that God doesn't look so much at the greatness of our works as at the love with which they're done!

Today, I'd like you to imagine the realm of God as a patchwork quilt. Not a mustard seed, or a catch of fish, or as seeds sown in a field. No, imagine God's realm as a familiar quilt. It's a quilt of beautiful diversity, where individual pieces are joined together in interesting and surprising ways, creating patterns and beauty undreamed of. It's a quilt that includes what might be considered old or useless, torn or stained, of no value…this quilt gives new value to the old. In fact, this quilt surely searches out the torn and the ripped and stained, the pieces of old shirts, dresses, tablecloths, and faded curtains that have lost their usefulness in their original form, but which evokes memories, rather than the pristine and perfect and untouched cloth. This quilt restores value in what society has typically devalued. This quilt's being made with resourcefulness, a willingness to cut and shape and reuse, so that warmth and beauty are brought forth from scraps, from what's used and worn and loved.

And so it is with the realm of God. No one is too old, too worn, too torn, too damaged to be part of this realm. There's nothing that can happen to us to take away our inherent value for God's kingdom. In quilting, it's often the fact that something is very old or torn or stained that makes it valuable for the quilt. And this is true in the realm of God. Jesus repeatedly told stories of this…the Son of Man to seek out and save the lost; Jesus welcomed sinners, the stained, those devalued in his society. Those that are deemed too damaged, too worn, even too ugly all have value in God's realm, real value as they become part of the whole.

I remember my grandmother telling me that quilting is memory's art, that in the making of a quilt, a person remembers. New fabrics combine with old skills to create a vision of the past in all its color, complexity and texture. And she said, that in the creating itself, in the cutting and piecing and sewing, is healing. Healing of old hurts, of ancient rifts, of deep grief and loss. Old and new are stitched together using thread, the same thread connecting disparate, separated parts, parts never before connected. Sewing itself is a skill of strength and creativity and healing. It's an art, used in the creation of clothing and also in medicine. Stitches close cuts so that healing can occur; stitches bring healing. Any work of creativity is healing work. Deep grief or sorrow is often assuaged when one is engaged in some creative endeavor. I imagine that many quilts in many families were originally made in times of grief, as a tangible means to remember, to create and to heal.

Likewise, in the creating of the realm of God, in the work of seeking out new patterns, of finding old pieces that'll work together with the new, in the work of sewing disparate colors and patterns together, healing occurs. In God's realm, we're cut, trimmed, shaped and then sewn together with others in a variety of patterns. The stitching together of disparate lives brings healing or ancient rifts and new hurts even as a new pattern of beauty and usefulness is created.

Patchwork quilts are known for the beauty of their patterns, patterns that're created from fabric pieces sewn together with other pieces of similar or different shapes and colors of fabrics. The beauty of a quilt comes not so much from the differences in color and shape as from the ways in which the colors and shapes are connected. If all pieces of the same color were put together, the quilt wouldn't be nearly as beautiful as one that has dark and light next to each other, where each piece brings out the beauty in the others. Nor would such a monochromatic quilt be as beautiful as a quilt where the colors blend gradually together from one extreme to the other, using the subtle differences of shading to create a spectrum. A beautiful image of diversity, not unlike the image of "mosaic" which is sometimes used to describe our country, instead of the old "melting pot" image.

In God's realm, as in patchwork, it's not just the fact of difference that creates beauty. It matters how the differences are pieced and sewn together. We are different races, cultures, languages, sexualities, personalities, even religions. Our collective beauty or worth comes not so much from our differences as from the ways in which these differences interface together. Our beauty is enhanced by touching the beauty of others…other cultures, other colors, other personalities. The beauty of such diversity comes in the connections, the placement and the patterns that develop from these juxtapositions.

I've found that in my life, it's been in studying and in working with folks of other religions that my own faith as a Christian has been most shaped and deepened. My Christianity has been challenged and changed and has become even more precious to me as I've learned more and more about other faiths.

And we, in this church, because of our open and affirming nature, enjoy a diversity that many Connecticut United Church of Christ (UCC) churches sadly lack. And the diversity allows us to do so much more in the way of ministry, of reaching out to others, because of the way we are patched together…white beside black, young beside old, heterosexual beside homosexual, liberal beside conservative, sister beside brother. Through our diversity, our community is strengthened by our pooled resources and gifts.

Quilters are usually very resourceful in their use of their own time and energy, historically gathering together in quilting bees, to make the work easier, and to be together in fellowship. More contemporary quilters may work together, making quilts for certain people or causes or occasions, gifts of love. Quilts are communal. Even quilts made by one person are communal, for often the fabrics and patterns are chosen in collaboration with another person, a third person might do the quilting and then the quilt might be shared with many at home. I would guess that the most loved quilts are the ones that're passed through families, along with stories, and recognition of pieces of fabric…"oh, that was mom's dress, that was my playsuit, those were the curtains in grandma's parlor." One of the gifts of quilts in our time is the connection with the past, with an art form that developed long ago, and with those who've gone before us.

Quilts are about memory, taking various members, and putting them together, literally, "re-membering"…taking scraps, memories and sewing them together. In my attic, I have a box of old dresses my mother made for me when I was young. The styles and fabrics aren't quite in vogue now, the clothes are a bit worn. But those dresses mean a lot to me now that my mother is dead. I've never been able to bring myself to discard them because I know she loving made them for me with her creative hands. I've saved those dresses to make them into a quilt some day, a quilt of warmth and connection and memory for my own children. When I get around to making that quilt, it'll be a constant remembering of a significant part of my life, never to be repeated, but never to be forgotten.

And like a patchwork quilt, the realm of God is truly a communal effort, created in a divine and human quilting bee. This realm is a communal familty of God that re-members, drawing together old and new, bring to mind ancient stories, eliciting new ideas. In this quilt, we catch glimpses of those who've gone before, glimpses of others around us, glimpses of ourselves. But only glimpses here and there, for no one fabric dominates. In this quilt, in this realm of God, no one culture or race or gender or religion dominates; each exists only in connection with others, bringing together a beauty far beyond that of any one piece.

It's impossible to think of quilts as a metaphor for the realm of God without thinking of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. I saw it in Washington, D.C., and it's communal, resourceful, beautiful. As a whole, it brings together disparate parts, disparate people, into a beautiful unity. It shows so clearly the beauty of diversity. And it's useful, not for warmth on a cold night, but useful for raising consciousness about AIDS. Useful for making clear the scope and tragedy of this epidemic. And useful for grieving. Remembering a life, finding objects and fabrics and words and memories to portray that life, the very acts of cutting and sewing and gluing and drawing…these acts of creativity are in themselves life-giving and life-affirming and life-sustaining. Making a panel becomes communal and family, even when done with strangers. And there becomes a connection in the grief, a connection to all those others who also grieve. To view any part of the quilt is to become part of the community. The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is a powerful, national symbol of life and love, of death anf grief, of creativity and loss. It's a powerful reminder of the realm of God. No, it's more than a reminder. It's in fact one of the most vivid glimpses we have of God's realm, the realm where we are all valued, where disparate parts are brought together, where re-membering and healing occur.

Ecclesiastes 3, that powerful and familiar poem, seems an apt description of this quilt that is the realm of God. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." The pairings of the poem aren't so much dichotomies, either/ors, as they are descriptions of the way life is. Everything has its season, its time; oftentimes, these two seemingly opposite activities happen concurrently, or at least in rhythm with each other; tearing and sewing are both part of the act of making a quilt; weeping and laughing are sometimes two sides of the same emotion. Being born and dying represent the beginning and end of each life, yet in the larger picture, they both happen all the time. What's important is that we welcome each of these acts in its season, in our lives and in the lives of others. These acts are both pieces in the quilt of the realm of God and the acts that bring together the pieces. William Shakespeare said, in All's Well That Ends Well, "that the web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together. And as hard as it is to accept, Jesus' parable about the weeds in the field shows us that God allows good and evil to exist until the close of human history. May we be comforted somewhat by the words in Ecclesiastes, that God has made everything beautiful in its time, and has put eternity into human minds, yet we cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

The realm of God is like a patchwork quilt - designed, pieced, sewn, and loved together by divine and human hands. The realm of God is like a patchwork quilt - re-valuing what's been devalued, bringing warmth and comfort from pieces too small to be warm alone. The realm of God is like a patchwork quilt - bringing beauty and pattern out of widely varied textures and colors and patterns. The realm of God is like a patchwork quilt - re-membering, grieving, healing in the acts of creating. The realm of God is like a patchwork quilt - a gift of love to families and friends and strangers, a gift of beauty, practicality, diversity and community, held together by countless stitches of healing an love. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Armed with their commitment to serve others, 45 high school students and seven adults from Connecticut spent the last week trying to change a small corner of the world in Abbeville.

The 52-member Pilgrim Fellowship Mission left early this morning to return to Guilford, but the results of their unselfish labors at Herod Village will leave an indelible mark for years to come.

"We're extremely pleased and overwhelmed with their generosity," said Jim Grant, President of Herod Village. "They did a wonderful job. They have been working hard since their got here and have really moved us ahead. We are very close to have the gym and band room operational. By summer we should have both operational."

For the last week, these young teenagers and their adult counselors have been working from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. - preparing the gym, band room and front foyer of the old school so that Herod Village can begin utilizing the facility for the community.

While Abbeville with reap the benefits from the labors of these young people for many years, the members of the Pilgrim Fellowship Mission also reap benefits from the mission, according to their leader.

"Every child we have ever taken on a mission has said it changed their lives," said Merrillyn Garcia.

After going on a mission like this, you "never view the world the same again," Garcia added.

"If you change one life, you change the world."

Garcia has had the opportunity to see many lives changed in the last 35 years. She became involved with Pilgrim Fellowship Mission as a 14-year-old and has remained involved over the years. For the last eight or nine years, she has organized the annual mission.

Joining Garcia and the teens on the mission this year are her husband Ray, Cindy Magee, Charles Peluse, Debbie Peluse, Brian Magee and Heidi Schoenfeldt.

"This is a huge opportunity to share and make a difference," Garcia said, "and also to transform these kids."

Pilgrim Fellowship Mission is a youth ministry group based out of First Congregational Church in Guilford, Connecticut. The group is not limited to members of the church, though, with all young people welcome to join no matter what denomination.

The thing that binds the young people together, Garcia said, is that they have made a commitment to serve others.

"All year-round we do service locally," including working the Habitat for Humanity, the homeless shelter, assisting the elderly.

"First and formost is the commitment to service where you are, with the church acting as the core. And every spring we do a mission project. This year it is Herod."

Garcia said she researches various projects where there is a need to determine what the mission will be each year. She then selects a few and visits the locations before making a final choice.

"After coming down here and looking at the possibilities, I got a sense of what this could do for the community…a sense of the spirit. I felt a need here and I felt it would be doable for us."

To prepare for the mission, the young teens do fund-raising all year round. The money they raise helps to pay for the trip - the supplies, food and travel.

Before leaving Connecticut, they sent a check to the Herod Village organization so the needed supplies would be ready upon their arrival.

Over the years, the annual mission has brought the group to many different places, from the inner city of Newark to the Appalachian Mountains, and from the hurricane-devastated island of St. Thomas to the Hopi Indian reservation in Arizona.

One thing about Abbeville, Garcia said, is that the community has welcomed the group with open arms.

"The community has been wonderful. Everywhere we went, we felt such warmth and welcome. We feel really loved."

Garcia said the young teens also get another benefit while serving others.

"These kids really learn skills. When they go on to college or a job, they can cite skills that are usable and community service. Many colleges cite community service as a main issue."

Garcia said the kids have been learning a wide range of skills, including laying floor tile, installing plexiglass, sanding and sealing wood bleachers as well as varnishing wood, painting, and other carpentry skills.

In addition, they are learning to work together.

"We have a wide range of kids," Garcia said. "Even though they are different, they discover that the other person may have something they can relate to. They get a real sense of being in the outside world."

Overall, Garcia said, this week has been very exiciting.

"I see this (Herod) as being a center for opportunity, growth and sharing. We're real thrilled to help make it come true."

In the Guilford Courier newspaper, June, 1999, the following article by Katharine O'Sullivan, associate editor, wrote the following:

Teens from the shoreline area traveled to Abbeville, Louisiana, April 9-18 as part of the Pilgrim Fellowship Mission Trip. The trip was on behalf of Guilford's First Church in order to help resurrent a condemned school for community use.

Having traveled to places like West Virginia and Arizona in the past years, the most notable difference of this particular area was the community's total acceptance of the group's presence.

"We never felt like outsiders," Fellowship Advisor Merrillyn Garcia said.

Members of the community came to help with special projects the group worked on, like one man who single-handedly sandblasted the ceiling and walls of the gym. Others brought food to the work site during the day, or hosted six to eight kids in their homes.

All meals were donated, including one lunch by the local Burger King. Other meals were provided by the community's Head Start program or by individual families.

"Everything they did for us, it didn't seem like they were obligated. There were so genuine," explained Shannon Shatto, a resident of Branford, on her first Mission Trip.

According to Garcia, the community was very welcoming and very appreciate of the work the group completed. Their progress earned them a lot of recognition as well. A local radio station broadcasted live from the work site for a short time, and Channel 4, a well known TV station in the area, came come to interview the kids on their projects.

"They were so impressed, and they could not believe what we had accomplished," Garcia said. "These kids set an example for everyone."

The condemced school the group worked on will eventually be used as a community center. The gym in which they worked on has already been booked for future use.

The majority of the group's work was cleaning the entire school - roughly the size and style of Calvin Leete Elementary - of debris that was results of years of vandalism; scraping and painting walls and varnishing bleachers; and boarding up all 350 of the building's windows to prevent further vandalism.

Another large project was the scraping, sanding, and re-tiling of the old band room floor. An opportunity to design the new layout of the floor was given to the group and was completed by Guilford resident Adam Schwartz.

The trip was also an opportunity for the group of teens to see another culture and to learn about the beliefs of those in the community.

Members of the group visited several different church services, including one of the Lighthouse for Jesus, though they did not stay for the entire five hours of the service. Many of the teens remarked on how it differed from other services.

"The music was a highlight of each service because they were so upbeat," Josh Cacopardo said. "And they had a full band, and no one used a book."

The group also spent a day in New Orleans and had the opportunity to visit the French Quarter during a jazz festival.

"It was a day full of music and food," Cacopardo said.

In the months leading up to their trip, the Pilgrim Fellowship Group had multiple fund-raisers in order to reduce the cost of transportation and to help aid in the costs for materials and supplies. Events such as mother-daughter banquet, a silent auction, and several fall clean-up days raised several thousand dollars to go toward the Mission Trip.

Before leaving Abbeville, a reception was held in honor and to thank the Pilgrim Fellowship for their hard work and contribution to the community. Everyone was proclaimed an honorary Cajun and a lifetime member of the community's H.E.R.O.D. Village, "Helping Each Resident Overcome and Develop."