Pair’s quilts spread prayers to sick, troops abroad

Hummer, 62, of Marietta, and her daughter Tricia Serroels, 38, have made what they call “prayer quilts” for the past six years. The first was for the wife of their choir director at Mount Zion United Methodist Church in east Cobb. She was diagnosed with breast cancer.

In the basement of Hummer’s home the two cut squares of fabric, sew them using a machine, then iron and pin them, and tie yarn at junctures to keep the squares in place. They sign each one with the words, “Wrapped in Prayers,” the name of their two-woman operation. They pray over the quilts, too.

On this day, Psalm 121 is their inspiration. It begins, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and Earth.”

The pair have made about 50 adult-sized quilts for members of their church and others who are sick. They gave one to a young football player at Pope High School who died of a rare form of childhood cancer.

They make smaller “pew” quilts that church members can buy through a church donation to honor a loved one. The quilts are kept on the pews to keep worshippers warm.

A couple of years ago, Hummer decided to branch out to political figures, to help them pray for the country. She gave a quilt to fellow church member U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), who was her daughter’s sixth-grade Sunday school teacher.

That led to an invitation to the White House to present a prayer quilt to former President George W. Bush.

In April 2007, the women and their husbands joined Isakson in the Oval Office, where they held hands and prayed with President Bush as they presented his red, white and blue prayer quilt.

“He is so down to Earth,” Hummer said of the former president. She also met Barney, the first dog, who came to the door of the Oval Office from the Rose Garden.

Hummer gave quilts to former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Bush press secretary Tony Snow, who passed away from colon cancer, and Barbara Bush after her heart surgery. The women cherish their hand-written thank you notes from Barbara Bush.

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, got one too.

“We don’t want people to think this is political, because it’s not,” Hummer said. “This is about prayers for our nation, and for people who are going through a difficult time.”

The quilts are emblazoned with a cross surrounded by light-colored squares, where friends and family can write prayers with a marker. The border is made of a fabric that reflects the recipient’s personality.

The pair also made quilts with the Star of David and the Mormon angel Moroni.

On a recent Sunday after church, Hummer and her daughter presented a quilt to a woman undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumor. A scratchy blonde wig covered her bald head.

Church members signed good wishes, as if on a large card, and Serroels held the woman’s hand as everyone bowed their head. “Touch her body and cause it to function like you intended,” Serroels prayed. She choked up while reading her prayer, causing several others to cry as well.

Hummer is a talented seamstress. She made her daughter’s wedding gown, and she and her daughter have sewn elaborate banners that hang at Mount Zion.

Apart from large prayer quilts for the sick, Hummer and her daughter sent two red, white and blue quilts to an army hospital in Germany for sick soldiers. It’s something they’d like to do more of.

Last year, they made 300 “pocket quilts” not much larger than the size of a piece of paper for soldiers in Iraq. A chaplain from Fort Stewart distributed them to the troops.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Sergio Diaz, stationed in Iraq, liked the quilt and sent thanks to Hummer in an e-mail. He told Hummer he appreciated “the great support from you and hundreds of other beautiful people who anonymously work long hours with love, dedication, and selfless service, to make our deployment closer to home.”

“We talk about these prayer quilts constantly,” Hummer said. “The more we give out, the more prayer we get out there, and that’s what we need.”