Pines Chapel Presbyterian Church

Homecoming of the 1952 Friendship Quilt

Text below from the bulletin handed out during the Friendship Quilt Homecoming 

      The quilt was part of a community challenge in 1950 to raise money for a new church as the congregation of Pines Chapel had outgrown their old one. The old church was a small frame building connected to an old public school building. The Rev. Murphy Williams asked Presbytery for a $5,000.00 Challenge Fund grant to help with building the new church. The award came with the stipulation that the congregation match the amount. The challenge was accepted and the Friendship Quilt became the most successful of the fundraisers that were undertaken. For a small sum, people could put their names or the names of loved ones on the quilt. The 20 square quilt was auctioned off to further raise money.

     The Rev. James Womack arrived in time to break ground for the new church in 1953. In 1955 Rev. Womack left the new church and took with him the Friendship Quilt that had been presented to him by the high bidder at the quilt auction for his help in building the church. This sprint the quilt was rediscovered in the possession of the Womack children who remembered it has having a place of honor in the family guest bedroom. On Saturday September 23, 2017, the quilt and the memories it holds come home to Pines.