 I’ve noticed a pattern over the years, as quilts and items have been dropped off. As armfuls of quilts and wagon loads of Silent Auction baskets are brought into the office at Green Lake Bible Camp, just about every person asks “well, have you gotten enough quilts in?”
It’s such a funny question. First of all, where else does that question make sense? What does “enough quilts” mean to any other community? This question isn’t just about checking in on our progress towards preparing for the big Quilt Auction day or simply inquiring about the number of quilts to admire or asking how long the auction will last under the tent by the lake. It’s about hope. The question is about what we can hope for the Quilt Auction’s outcomes. It’s about what the Quilt Auction will bring to future generations of campers, participants and guests. It’s about hope for how many more people will get to experience lakeside campfires, the joy of a new friendship, serving alongside their neighbor, and the life-changing love of Jesus at the water’s edge, because of you and your support of the Quilt Auction. The Quilt Auction comes together one stitch, one row, one quilt at a time. One bid becomes thousands of bids. A legacy of generosity has been built over the last 42 years, based on fabric, thread, bids and hope. Over the past 41 years, over 7,100 quilts and items have been donated to the Quilt Auction and over $2.2 million has been raised to support our summer camp and day camp programming, service opportunities, retreat ministry, and so much more. This event has grown and changed over time to meet the needs of our ministry and our big goals, but the intention has remained the same: making opportunities for people to experience the life-changing love of Jesus possible, through our shared generosity and care. There is often a second question that follows after the first: “what else do you need? More volunteers?” And when schedules don’t align just right, the response is always “keep me in mind for next year!” The willingness to help and contribute is heartwarming and astonishing, and a sign that we truly are all in this together. This event is made special by the belief that we are all accomplishing these big goals together, little by little, stitch by stitch, as God’s big community. Thank you for giving us such hope through the Quilt Auction and for being part of this story.
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