Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
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42 E v ery Tuesday from 8 A M t o 3 PM, amid talking and laughter, sewing machines hum in the sewing room at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. Recently, an anonymous donor gave the church's mission sewing min- istry 17 new sewing machines. About 40 women are involved in Mission Sewing, which donates to hospitals and social service organizations in the Kansas City area. They make walker bags, eyeglass cases, peanut-shaped pillows, lap robes for all ages, blankets for newborns and pajamas for children. Knitters create new- born caps and cancer hats, among other projects. The yarn is donated, and the knitters work at home. "Through October of 2015, we sent out 8,630 items," says Edie Hultman, coordinator of Mission Sewing. That represents 9,264 working hours. Items are either delivered to or picked up by approximately 21 service agencies and 5 hospitals. Village Presbyterian, a church of 4,760 members, is close to the Kansas and Missouri state line. Mission Sewing serves several hospitals and agencies in Missouri, as well as Kansas. "Usually on Monday, two women sort through all the donations that have come in, and keep everything neat and tidy," Edie says. "We have a sepa- rate room for storage, and they keep it looking like a fabric shop. There is no schedule of workers. The door is open for anyone who wants to come in. If there are no urgent needs, I let them sew what they want. Some like more challenging projects. We sew year- round, except December. It is a very nice group of women, and they are all willing to do whatever we need to do. We break for lunch at noon. We have a coffee shop in the church, but some bring lunches." The women involved with Mission Sewing know that their handiwork will be a loving witness to those who need comfort. Karen Stone is a Mission Sewing coordinator. She says, "A hospital requested outfits for deceased infants; that was a hard project to work on. We used wedding-dress fabric to create lit- tle dresses for the girls and outfits for the boys. We also made 52 little five- inch stockings to hang on the tree in memory of each baby." She adds, "We do a variety of projects. We donate mastectomy pouches for cancer patients at four hospitals and a cancer center. We donate to service agencies, such as the Family Conservancy, which helps children. We give them little blankets for naps, and hats with tassels and mittens to match. We made uni- forms for the medical staff at a hospital in the Dominican Republic." "I love cutting patterns and putting together the projects, working with different fabrics," Karen says. "I like being part of the sewing group, where everyone cares about each other. 'This is our happy place' is the phrase I often hear when the women talk about Mis- sion Sewing." Carol Gruber is a freelance writer, clerk of session at First Presbyterian Church, Union, Missouri, and co-president of Church Women United of Franklin County, Missouri. A Sewing and Knitting Community t t t BY CAROL GRUBER b u i l d i n g c o m m u n i t y Village Presbyterian Church's Mission Sewing is a well-equipped ministry. The sewing room houses donated sewing machines and supplies, and has plenty of space for women to work in community as they create gifts for the larger community. Photo courtesy of Carol Gruber