By Frank Ramirez
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” So it says in scripture (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and so, it seems, is the case for the Association of the Arts in the Church of the Brethren (AACB), which has announced that this is the last year the group will host quilting at Annual Conference. The decades-long Conference quilting bee will be capped by the last quilt auction this Saturday afternoon.
“We’ve done quilting since the early 1970s,” said Tara Hornbacker, recalling the history of the event. “Over the years we used to also arrange for art exhibits and bus tours, but for the last 20 years we’ve focused solely on quilting. We had to change with the times.”
Hornbacker, who is Emeritus Professor of Ministry Formation, Missional Leadership, and Evangelism at Bethany Theological Seminary, is currently interim pastor of New Carlisle (Ohio) Church of the Brethren. She is not just an organizer, but also a fixture of the annual event.
And changing with the times is part of what is leading to this decision. “When Annual Conference changed the one-week structure of the event we had to change as well.” There are now fewer blocks of time to quilt, and fewer people with the skill to share. “Not a lot of churches are turning in blocks,” she admitted, “so we made the decision to lay this down.”
“We only had 48 blocks donated,” said Margaret Weybright of Goshen, Ind.
“We have only four quilts to get down,” Hornbacker agreed. “The time has come. I feel absolutely thrilled about all we have done all these years. We’ve had the kind support of the denomination, and in return we’ve been able to give away thousands of dollars to alleviate hunger. Others can do something in a similar way.”
The final AACB Quilt Auction will take place at the end of business Saturday afternoon, July 6, 2024, on the Coffeehouse Stage in the Exhibit Hall.
#cobac2024
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