Since the time of our last report (October 2018) much has happened in the We Sew Love world! In October we held our first Open House. In addition to more than 80 attendees, we also birthed another WSL group in the area: We Sew Love-Pawnee Missionary Baptist Church. This group, coordinated by Clara Christopher, is a vital ministry within their church and community as well as becoming significant participants at We Sew Love-HBC.
When Hurricane Gordon hit the gulf coast last fall, WSL responded by shifting gears and creating quilts for our neighbors down south. As coordinators for north and central Alabama, we delivered over 70 quilts in December and 10 more in February.
In December we moved from Building C to Building A. Quite a significant bit of work, not made easier by the holiday season. God is Good and brought us help at every juncture! Once we were all settled into our new space and past the holidays, we found ourselves surrounded by many joyful and helpful volunteers, just as before but NOW we find we have more visitors … something we love!
One issue that’s come up as a result of the move is laundry…the dreaded laundry pile is hard to eliminate now that we do not have access to laundry equipment. Some HBC members have been so graciously volunteering to take loads home each week, Gayle Montgomery was our first designated “laundry volunteer” and continues to encourage others to join her. We sort all incoming donations into “loads” and put them in bags next to The Sewing Suite door in hopes of finding “sponsors” … it’s good to live with hope!
We’ve been asked to help start a WSL ministry at Liberty Church on Old Rocky Ridge Road. A big display has been set up in the foyer area of the four-room wing they are dedicating to this ministry. The preview day is scheduled for Sunday, May 19th from 11:45am-1pm. We are very excited about the opportunity to offer our volunteers and supporters a space to serve on the south and west side of the city. You will hear more about this soon! Join us in prayer over this new initiative.
We Sew Love will be featured in the May issue of the Birmingham Christian Family magazine, thanks to Anne Lange. She and Ron also had Linda Jacobson present the WSL ministry to the Trussville Rotary Club in January. As a result, WSL was able to send items to Mexico. Additionally, we are now on the list to receive donations of retired linens from Trussville Hampton Inn and Garden Inn. These items are essential (and big money savers) for several of our products.
Linda Jacobson has been asked to present the WSL ministry to the Evening Star Quilters Quilt on May 3. We are excited about the opportunity to spread the word.
A Meet & Greet event is being planned for May 18 that will include the opportunity for everyone to meet our Tanzania doctors, the student that went to Jamaica, and our contact (now volunteer) from the Mexico trip. We will also offer tours of our new space and share an update on all the exciting things that are happening in the WSL world! The event will be held in the Parlor. Grace Klein Community will provide cookies and bars.
We are set for a full weekend May 18th and May 19th and invite all of you to one or both gatherings.