CRETE — In the heart of the small town of Crete, a dedicated group of 20 church members is tying warmth and compassion into quilts that find homes across the globe.
For more than 50 years, the Bethlehem Quilters have gathered together for a time of volunteering, ministry and fellowship at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 805 Hawthorne Ave., in Crete. Connie Lentell, a member and organizer of the group, said they make an average of about 200 quilts a year to send to those in need.
“We are a mission service organization; we have an outreach that goes all over the world,” Lentell said. “It’s exciting to know that you’re touching that many people’s lives.”
Lentell has been a part of the group for about 10 years now but has been sewing for much longer.
“I have always wanted to do this, so as soon as I retired, I joined,” Lentell said. “It’s fellowship, but it’s also doing something for missions. You’re helping someone else.”
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The group has historically met weekly January to March but now meet monthly to continue fostering friendships throughout the year. The group averages about 15 quilts each morning they meet.
Tina Barak, the youngest member, said she’s only been in the group for a little under three years after retiring at the age of 62. Long before she was an official member, Barak helped out at home as a teenager since her mom was a member.
“She was quilting and she was bringing stuff home for me to sew together and then she would bring it back,” Barak said.
All of the quilts are made from donated fabric and old bedsheets. Much of the material is brought to Crete by Barak’s brother who lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where her niece collects excess fabric from another quilting group.
Other fabric is brought in from church members, community members who hear about the group or members’ friends who look for sheets while garage sale shopping.
“All over the community, people know that we accept sheets and scrap fabrics,” Lentell said.
The top layer of each quilt is made with squares of fabric that are sewn ahead of time by group members and church attendants. Outside of the church sanctuary, Lentell said they have a basket of pre-cut squares and instructions for those interested in sewing the layers at home.
The quilt squares are then combined with a middle layer, typically a bedsheet, and a bottom layer of fabric to be cut to size by the quilters. For colder months, the bedsheet can be replaced with flannel or another thick material to make a heavier quilt.
The majority of the quilters work in small groups to tie knots between the three layers with thread. Lentell and Connie Kuebler then finish the quilts by binding the edges together.
After completing the quilts, the group lays them on the pews throughout the sanctuary to be prayed over. The majority of the quilts then go to the Orphan Grain Train to be distributed all over the world.
The Orphan Grain Train is an international Christian nonprofit that began in Norfolk. Kathy and Jim Carter run the Lincoln collection center at 1901 SW 6th St. In addition to the Bethlehem Quilters, Kathy said they receive quilts from all over Southeast Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas.
“We love our quilt ladies,” Kathy said. “(Quilts) keep people warm, they protect people from bugs and insects and animals and all kinds of stuff like that. And they’re homemade, they’re made with love and they’re colorful, they’re pretty. It just makes people happy and feel loved and cared for.”
Carter and their volunteers help box up hundreds of boxes each month with gently used clothing, medical equipment supplies and other items such as the quilts. Some of the boxes end up at local organizations such as the People's City Mission or to help with relief efforts, including after tornadoes struck Nebraska earlier this year. In the past year, Kathy said they shipped to 38 states and 71 countries around the world.
“We have so much stuff, we are so wasteful in our country,” Kathy said. “We need to recycle, we need to repurpose and there’s people that need this.”
Like the Grain Train, the Bethlehem Quilters give every piece a purpose. Lentell said that every piece of fabric that is brought in is used in one way or another. Scraps that are cut off or unusable are bagged up and brought to the People’s City Mission to be sold to foreign countries.
Some of the usable scraps go to Margaret Witte, a member of three years, who turns donated pillowcases into dresses for world relief. She uses extra fabric, ruffles and lace to add style to the dresses, which are shipped to orphanages in Africa. Some of the dresses stay here, too, such as the 18 Witte donated in July to the People’s City Mission.
Esther Beile said the quilting group has always functioned in a reusable way to keep usable material out of landfills.
“Every piece that has come has gone someplace to be used,” Beile said.
Beile joined the group over 50 years ago when her sons were in elementary school. While the group has always helped others, Beile said they’ve become more organized as the years have gone on.
Wilma Chrastil loves the fellowship that comes alongside the volunteer work, such as conversations to help one another in times of trial.
“On Sundays, you say hi to people that you see in church, but you don’t really get to sit down and visit with them,” Chrastil said. “Our coffee breaks kind of work nicely for that. You get to know them better than just walking in and out of church on Sunday.”