Quilts of hope: The story behind the Prayer Quilt Ministry

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - Sewing, stitching and sashing.

A group of seven ladies in the Kinder area using their skills to spread hope in their community through the “Prayer Quilt Ministry.”

“I got involved about five years ago,” said helper Martha Rozas. “I was at home, and I got a phone call from one of the ladies of the church that I knew, and she said, come on over, we are sewing.”

What started nearly 14 years ago as a one-woman band for Patty Savant quickly grew into a sisterhood.

“We’re lucky enough to have this nice room to be able to gather together with all our stuff and enjoy each other’s company,” said the organizer of the prayer quilt ministry, Patty Savant.

Some sew, some iron and some write scriptures; but whatever their task, they are each an instrumental piece for the final product.

“The first quilt was given on Valentine’s Day,” she said.

But these are far from just ordinary quilts.

“It started in 2008, whenever we had several people in our congregation that had life-threatening diseases, and we all, everyone was praying. But I just felt like there needed to be something else that could be done to comfort them.”

They are prayer quilts.

“Each quilt has prayers that we’ve said in it while we are making it, and also afterward the congregation signs it and they pray for the person,” said Savant, “Our men’s prayer meeting, they anoint it with oil like the bible says to do, and they pray over it, so there’s lots of prayers.”

A tangible item people can take with them in their trying moments.

“They’ll bring them to their treatments, many of them it’s cancer treatments, or kidney, diabetic things, and kidney problems, and they’ll bring them, and then it starts to be a ministry to them,” said Savant.

The comfort the quilts bring goes far beyond those struggling with their health.

“Years ago, I met this lady, a friend of mine; we worked together,” said helper Agnes Mcnabb. “She was a sitter, and I was a sitter, and about three months ago, I called her because I needed somebody to take care of an old lady, and I didn’t know we had made her husband a quilt, and she told me about it, and she said he passed, but she says she gets that quilt and puts it around her and says it’s so much comfort to her.”

“We get cards from them, and sometimes they send donations, so it’s really been a blessing for me,” said helper and cook Juanita Jackson.

“I would love to see other churches, and we have had two or three other churches that I know of, maybe more that have started it after they’ve seen this ministry, and that would be so good because everybody needs prayer, and everybody needs to be comforted,” said Savant.

The ministry has made about 300 quilts, they tell 7 News. Due to demand, the quilts are limited to those who are terminally ill or critically sick.

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