Quilting for Peace
by YVETTE MOORE*
A program on world peace set nimble fingers sewing among United Methodist Women members at McFarlin United Methodist Church in Norman, Okla. The women used phrases and images from Christmas cards to craft a peace quilt in follow-up to a program from the 2006 Women’s Division’s Program Book: Building Peace Piece by Piece. The program, “Building A Culture of Peace, Living God’s Shalom,” by Women’s Division executive Carol Barton, helps participants explore how to build peace in their families, communities, nation and the world. Program participants study passages about peace from Isaiah, Matthew and Ephesians, and discuss stories included in the program that illustrate concrete actions for peace.
The program closes with participants making peace poles, a project started by the Society of Prayer for World Peace in Japan in 1955 as a statement against the destruction of World War II, including the U.S. atom bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Peace poles, which display the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in multiple languages, are installed in public places around the world to remind people to pray for peace as they go about their days.
“The program went very well,” said Ann Needham, a member of the McFarlin unit. “Afterward a group of women in the unit agreed to put together a quilt to participate in a conference project to make quilts around the peace theme. The women, remembering the program, used a variety of languages for `May Peace Prevail on Earth.’”
The colors of the pictures on the quilt reproduced vibrantly, Ms. Needham said.
“We were extremely pleased with the finished product -- and quite proud of it!” she said.
