Gregg Brekke photo

For generations, church women – and often men – have gathered around a quilting table. This was traditionally a time for sharing news (and some gossip) while enjoying fellowship. Quilt designs told prayerful stories of families and communities, preserving histories and legends for generations to come. In slave times, quilts, strategically hung in windows and on wash lines, gave directions on how to travel to freedom.

This spring, UCC congregations were invited to weave their church stories and community histories into "candle cloths," small 14 by 20-inch quilts for use on altars or wherever a candle is placed as a way to claim a "sacred space."

The candle cloths, on display this weekend at UCC General Synod 27, were blessed this evening in preparation for their journeys to new homes in congregations throughout the country. Each cloth was accompanied by a short prayer, written by the cloth creators as a blessing to those who will receive the cloth as a way for local congregations to "be in prayer with each other."

As the cloths were blessed, many of the creators were on hand sharing stories of how working on the project strengthened relationships within the church and increased their sense of connection with the wider church.

Rev. Susan Towner-Larsen, Minister for Conference Relations in the Office of General Ministries, was "impressed at how seriously the churches took this project." While churches received guidelines on colors and sizes, the designs were as varied as the production methods. Some were obviously made by expert quilters, some were crocheted, and a few were made by children. Many used the Synod colors of red and black.

Crosses, stars, flowers, trees and landscapes were among the prominent symbols telling stories of church life. The quilters at St. Peter's UCC, Inman, Kan., discovered that quilting was not their thing. They used a form of Swedish weaving combined with Native American technique, to create their cloth.

As the cloths make their way to their new homes, Towner-Larsen hopes the churches will continue to be in prayer with each other, remembering that while stories may differ, "blessed be the ties that bind our hearts immersed in prayer."