Twenty quilts that will be given to women with unplanned pregnancies in the hopes they will choose to either keep their babies or put them up for adoption were blessed Sunday morning at the Oxford Free Methodist Church.
Known as Loving Lamb quilts, they were made by the church’s Quilters for Life group for the Crossroads Pregnancy Center (3205 South Boulevard) in Auburn Hills.
Tim Stickel, executive director of Crossroads Pregnancy Center, said the quilts are a source of encouragement and a blessing to both the clients and the staff.
‘Our staff is greatly encouraged because of what you do for our girls through the quilts,? he told the congregation. ‘So many times we stand there and we feel like we’re fighting the fight alone. It is a battle. It is a struggle. So, thank you very much.?
Stickel said the quilts are particularly meaningful to the center’s clients because ‘they were made for them by people who have never seen them and yet love them.?
He confessed to the congregation that he loves the artistry of the quilts so much, it’s hard not to keep them.
‘I hesitate to give all these away,? Stickel said. ‘If you come down (to the center), you’ll find I have a couple of them hanging in my office because I covet them.?
Founded about 10 years ago, Quilters for Life meets at the Oxford Free Methodist Church (790 S. Lapeer Rd.) on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
‘We have a lot of fun together,? said Oxford resident Carla Lambertson, who leads the group. ‘We usually have pizza for lunch or somebody brings something special in. We celebrate each other’s birthdays. It’s a blessing.?
As members sew the quilts, they pray that the mothers who receive them will choose to bring their unborn babies into the world rather than abort them.
Each quilt has a little lamb sewn on it.
Lambertson explained the lamb represents Jesus Christ who ‘asks us to bring the children to Him, so that He may bless them and love them and hold them and keep them in His arms.?
Quilters for Life currently has 10 members, but Lambertson said the group is always willing to welcome more, whether they’re experienced quilters or folks who have never sewn a stitch in their life.
Lambertson said the group is always happy to teach novice quilters and provide them with fabric to get them started.
Quilters for Life includes Pam Nelson, Dorothy Suarez, Carolyn Farmer, Joan Tailford, Della Remell, Linda Risinger, Sharon Norman, Debbie Logsdon and Devon Hoffman.