Can you be a good quilter without belonging to a quilting circle?

The reason I ask this question is because I receive a lot of social media posts about the fact that people can be good Christians without having to go to church. That got me thinking.

If the question is can you be a good Christian without attending church?   I believe the answer is yes.

I also agree that you can be a good quilter without belonging to a quilting circle. That being said, why would anyone belong to a quilting circle? I believe there are a variety of reasons why quilters gather together on a regular basis. First, simply for the sense of community. Have you ever been around a group of quilters? They always sound like they’re having way too much fun. They’re laughing and telling stories and generally seem to enjoy each other’s company purely based on the bond of a common interest, quilting.

But it is much more than that. The young quilters come to learn the subtle nuances of the craft and the more experienced quilters come to share their wisdom and to teach the newbies the tricks of the trade. They gather to share tales of their successes and to learn ways that things could have been done differently, better, or more easily. They come to lift each other up, to encourage one another. They come to share their battle stars of callused thumbs. They swap out swatches of materials and discuss who has the best prices on what.  They congregate to share innovative ideas, current trends, patterns and techniques.

So, what does all this have to do with going to church? It has everything to do with it. Again, I ask can you be a good Christian without going to church? Probably.  Just like quilters, there is strength and wisdom in gathering together telling stories, sharing resources and having a few laughs with folks who believe what we believe. We too tell tales of our successes as well as pointing out the scars from life’s battles that we have survived and risen above. There are times in our journey that we come for a story and a meal, simply to be fed and healed.  And there are times we come strong and full to be a support for those who supported us when we needed it.  We come to both learn and to teach.  To heal and be healed. To feed and to be fed.

These are the reasons I go to church. Not because I must in order to be a good Christian.  But because I am a better Christian because I do.

So, do quilters need to gather, probably not. Are they somehow richer, wiser and better quilters for doing so? Perhaps. I guess the best way to know is to ask one of them.  Or, if you are a quilter, go hang out with a group of them for a while.

So, stop by some Sunday morning and ask a couple folks about the mosaic of their lives and how church has helped shape their life’s quilt.