This winter youth at the Jacksonville, Ill., Corps are staying toasty thanks to the thoughtfulness and creativity of their corps officer, Major Kathleen Pinkston.
An accomplished quilter, the major was inspired to use her talent when the kids discovered the soft blankets she keeps in her office and begged to use or keep them. She decided to make a quilt for each of them to take home.
“From start to finish of the quilt, I was praying for the child or teenager who was going to receive it. I enjoyed doing it because it was my time to pray for that child,” she said. In all, 25 children received a hand-sewn quilt that had been bathed in prayer for several hours as it was made.
With a specific child in mind, the major designed the quilt using scraps from her personal fabric stash and buttons based on the child’s personality or interests. Each quilt top was intentionally planned for that particular child and backed with soft material located by searching for sales and discounts.
“That was part of the fun,” the major said. “I enjoyed searching for and finding a great deal on the perfect fabrics.”
Major Katie’s passion for quilting paired with her love for the Lord and His children is a blessing to both the recipients and the major.
“Those quilts and the pieces thereof are now my prayer journal,” she concluded. “It’s a practical way to use the gift God gave me. He gave me gifts of pastoral care, hospitality and encouragement. I use all of these gifts in quilting. It’s a time of ministry.”
The major is now working on lap quilts for her women’s ministries members as she covers them in prayer one-by-one.
