Prayer Quilt Ministry
Ponchatoula First United Methodist Church
Prayers and Squares
Chapter #676
Pastor Tom Logan of First United Methodist Church in Ponchatoula initiated and has been the guiding force behind a new interfaith outreach ministry that combines the gift of prayer with the gift of a hand-tied quilt. The purpose of the Prayers and Squares ministry is not merely to make and distribute quilts, but to promote prayer through the use of quilts. Quilt ministry chair, Donna Mollere, said that the ministry’s motto is: "It's not about the quilt; it's all about the prayers."
The idea behind these prayer quilts is simple. A heavy thread is used to take stitches through the quilt layers, and the ends are left free to be tied with square knot. As each knot is tied, a silent prayer is said for someone in special need, who then receives the finished quilt. Requests for the quilts are made by members of the congregation for someone who is in special need of prayer. Members and visitors of the church are invited to tie a knot and as they do so, to say a prayer for this person.
Many quilts have been distributed, each a special gift of love. They have been made for sick babies, for cancer and AIDS patients, for adults and children facing surgery or personal crisis. Pastor Logan relates that many times, recipients of the quilts who are facing surgery have been allowed to bring their prayer quilt into the operating room with them.
Click on the thumbnail pictures below to see some of the quilts.
Begun in 1992 at Hope United Methodist Church in Rancho Bernardo, California with a gift of a quilt for a very sick two-year-old child, Prayers and Squares consists of many individual chapters around the world and is now embraced by many different denominations. Ponchatoula’s First United Methodist Church is proud to be chapter number 676.
Any church seeking more information about the ministry can contact First United Methodist Church at 985-386-3561 or Donna Mollere at 985-386-3914. More information can also be obtained from the website www.prayerquilt.org
