The Mission Quilt, a new video produced by several members of the Diocesan Communications Commission, uses the art of quilting as a metaphor to show how several local parishes in our diocese are living out their call to mission.

The video, which premiered at Convention in February, is receiving accolades from around the diocese for its technical excellence as well as for its inspiring stories of mission initiatives.

Narrated by Kentucky author and former network correspondent David Barrow Dick and his son Sam Dick, anchor for WKYT News, the video focuses on six of the squares in our Mission Quilt, each square representing an ongoing ministry in our diocese.

According to Communications Officer Kay Collier McLaughlin, the ministries featured in the video represent the various regions of our diocese, from Prestonsburg to Cynthiana to Fort Thomas. The video also describes different methods of funding. Some parishes fund their mission projects by combining small grants. Others are able to rely on existing facilities. The stimulus for the ministries is varied too. In some cases, parishes were asked to take on a specific project. Other parishes noticed a need in their community and then worked to fulfill that need. “We wanted to give people an idea of what kinds of things can be done,” McLaughlin said.

Video/TV professionals volunteer their time

Working to produce the video was viewed as a ministry in itself by the production team, according to McLaughlin, who provided the script for the video. Video/TV professionals Chas Calloway and Kent Gaitskill, both members of St. Raphael’s, Lexington, agreed to be the film crew, taking time off work to do so. Calloway also volunteered as editor. Father and son narrators, David and Sam Dick, volunteered their time, as did Steve Lyon, who was the principal musician in the video.

McLaughlin said the idea for the project originated the week before Christmas. “Stacy [Bishop Stacy Sauls] called me in and said, ‘I have an idea!’ It’s always a little dangerous when he says that because it usually means a quick response will be needed. But it also means something imaginative and creative is about to take place.

“The Bishop was so excited about the educational mission work happening in our diocese, he decided simply hearing someone talk about it at Convention would not do it justice. We had collaborated previously to transfer his first Bishop’s address to video, so we were both excited about the possibilities of the medium,” she said.

“The plan was to premiere the video at Convention in February as a kind of follow-up to the challenge ‘To Teach, To Love’ presented at last year’s Convention.

“Each deputation was given a copy of the video, along with a study guide to take back to his or her home parish.”

Churches inspired by video

“We’re hearing good things from the parishes who have shown it,” McLaughlin said. “People are inspired by the stories in the video and want to get more involved in mission.”

One such parish is St. Paul’s, Newport. “We watched the video during Morning Prayer in place of a sermon, and then we discussed it in Vestry,” said Jennifer Thierman, who is the Junior Warden at St. Paul’s. “After seeing the video, people were very keen on the possibility of beginning a Hispanic ministry in our community. The Hispanic community here is growing, but is still largely invisible. We think this is something that is needed in our area,” she said.

Work on diocesan mission quilt not finished

As anyone who has seen The Mission Quilt can attest, the video is satisfying to watch because it allows us to feel proud of what our diocese has already accomplished in mission; however, we are also challenged by the video because, as the narrators point out, there is room for more squares in our Mission Quilt. “The stories are never finished…and neither are the quilts. The people of God — the family of God — somewhere is in need. There are still hungry folk to be fed, the naked to be clothed, and those in distress in need of healing.”

The words to the hymn sung in the final scene of the video further emphasize there is much work still to be completed:

Here I am, Lord.
Is it I, Lord?
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.

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