By Christina Rice
Members of the Wilcox United Methodist Church created the Sewing Mission Group in April of 2016.
Erin Mullins, Donna Wilmes and Winifred Jones pause for a moment to display some of the dresses they sent to Africa. Members of the sewing group not pictured are Annette Mullins, Elizabeth Joslin, Kenna O’Connell and Susan Damewood.
Their pastor encouraged the congregation to find a mission project that would allow them to reach out to the community. The church had previously had a sewing group until the ladies in it were no longer able to sew. The new Sewing Mission Group members knew that congregation members had sewing experience and the church had fabric, sewing machines and supplies so they decided to get the items out of storage and put them to use.
The group sews various items to bless others in their community as well as globally, meeting on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm at the Wilcox United Methodist Church. The group is open to anyone interested in sewing for a cause.
Members sew quilts and zippered toiletry bags for the Children and Family Center of Northwest Missouri in Maryville, baby quilts for children in the congregation with health issues and lap robes for local nursing home residents. They also sew quilts and purchase sheets and bedding for families in need during the holidays.
The group learned of a need for dresses for girls in Africa through the program called Little Dresses for Africa. The non-profit organization was founded in 2008 to help those in need. The dresses are delivered by missionaries who share the message of Jesus Christ and the gospel. This spring, they were able to sew seven dresses with fabric they had on hand.
They are also working on a quilt made with hand-embroidered blocks which will be featured at their annual Lord’s Acre event in October.
“We felt we needed a mission project to get us to work together utilizing the materials we had on hand. As small as we are, I feel we have contributed quite a bit to the project already. It’s been good for us to get to know each other better even though we have known each other for a long time,” group member Donna Wilmes said.
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