Bomen Women & The Fellowship of the Cloth

Bomen Women & The Fellowship of the Cloth
Cloth connections open face to face fellowship at Bondeko Mennonite Church in Kinshasa (May 2012) -- photo by Nancy Myers

Thursday, August 25, 2011

CONTINUING CONNECTIONS

We promised to keep sharing how the connections and ideas and relationships and prayers keep unfolding from Congo Cloth Connections. I am ready to "get back into the blogger seat!" Keep sending us photos and stories at florence.brethren.mennonite@gmail.com Nina

FROM PATSY SHERER

I brought 4 yards of this summery watermelon-looking cloth home from the Mennonite convention in Pittsburgh and turned it into a tablecloth. I added a strip of the same material to each side to make it wide enough for my table.


FROM LOUISE MATTHEWS

I have attached a photo taken at The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio to include in your blog for the Congo Cloth Connection.



I recently presented a program called "Global Connections" with interactive activities for local children in grades 1-6. Five international students who attend Bluffton University from Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria shared about their country and culture. As a finale, participants dressed in international fashions for a group photo.


The fabric was purchased through CCC at the Mennonite Convention in Pittsburgh, PA and five of the skirts with matching head scarves shown in the photo were custom designed and sewn by Marie-Jeanne Mujinga while at convention.


Special thanks to Elizabeth Shelly for her generous donation to The Lion and Lamb for me to purchase CCC fabric and to Marie-Jeanne for her willingness to design and sew outfits for my programming with children. This provided a wonderful opportunity for "building bridges" at the Pittsburgh convention and beyond. I look forward to sharing these outfits with children at future global connection events at The Lion and Lamb.

Blessings~Louise Matthews

The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center
Bluffton University
419.358.3207
www.bluffton.edu/lionlamb/<http://www.bluffton.edu/lionlamb/>




Thursday, July 7, 2011

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

CCC @ MCUSA CONBENTION 2011 PITTSBURGH, PA

CONVENTION DAY ONE

Monday 4 July

After a long days of driving on either Sunday or Monday, all the CCC crew arrived. Tim Lind remained at home due an illness in the family, so Nina's first task was scrambling for translators for Marie-Jeanne and Gaston. Just before the evening worship they met Steve Wiebe-Johnson who served as their worship host. When they finally found their way back to the CCC booth after worship, Nina had encountered Jeanette Krabill, the angel of francais, who has been a beautiful and helpful presence in our booth ever since.

The Sunday travel group had been working all day, without air conditioning, setting up the Congo Cloth Connection booth and folding fabric for display. It is gorgeous!





When Nina and Nancy and Marie-Jeanne arrived they added a sewing table and sewing machine and poster of dress design from Congo so that the “dress shop corner” was ready to go!





When the Exhibit Hall opened at 8:45 pm, the booth was flooded with people, full of delight, interest.



Ervin Stutsman, executive director of MCUSA, was one of the first to come and stitch on the “Every Stitch a Prayer” quilt.



Youth really enjoyed dropping in to make bookmarks out of Congo cloth.



Over $800 of donations were given in exchange for many yards of cloth. And Marie-Jeanne began to take orders for custom made items.


CONVENTION DAY TWO

Tuesday 5 July

The booth was open from 11 am to 11 pm with volunteers taking shifts. Steady interest generated over $2000 in donations!

Louise Matthew of the Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton College ordered five skirts and head scarves from Marie-Jeanne. They use these cross cultural clothes to teach about diversity and peacemaking. What fun it was to see the variety of fabrics and skirt designs Marie-Jeanne created! Several girls came through and were willing to model them for us. And some lovely ladies, as well…





Sylvia Shirk was Marie-Jeanne’s interpreter for the Mennonite Women Dinner. This gave her a chance to hear some excellent preaching by Meghan Good and Eli Soto Albrecht, in translation. They she was ready to keep sewing until 11 pm. She is a wonder!



I had some time to work on the prayer cards that are part of “Every Stitch a Prayer.” I had made some cards by sewing and praying on Congo cloth. Suzanne Lind took them to Congo. Cisca Ibanda shared them with a group of women from all three Mennonite groups in Kinshasa, and they sent their prayer requests back.





On Tuesday evening I was able to sew and pray again, this time with particular women in mind. I prayed for a son who had rebelled against his family, for a daughter who had been ill for 37 years, for a son that could not find work and a son who cut off all communication with family. I will send back my own requests: for my son who is looking for work, for my daughter who is looking for the right relationships, for health and blessing from my only granddaughter who just learned to walk. Ah! We are the same. We are sisters, even from afar. This kind of connection, and all the connections in our booth, were the dreams of this church to church relationships project. Thanks be to God!


We have had lots of help quilting the "Every Stitch a Prayer" quilt for the auction on Thursday.





Tuesday, June 28, 2011

CCC at Central District Conference

Marie-Jeanne and Gaston were guests of the Central District Conference meetings at Silverwood Mennonite Church (June 23-25).

Mary Ellen Meyer of Faith Mennonite, Goshen,
interprets the plenary session on Biblical interpretation,
led by Loren Johns, professor of New Testament
at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary.


Conversation with Heidi Siemens-Rhodes,
one of the pastors of The Assembly, Goshen, IN.



Auctions quilts displayed at Central District Conference.

How lovely! See what Marie-Jeanne has in her bag!