The Archives and Research Center is offering your church a unique opportunity to be a significant part of IPHC history—today!
Over the past year, Dr. Kristen Welch and Rev. Cherie McDade have been working tirelessly in our Archives and Research Center to scan and catalog every piece of IPHC’s visual and audio history. Amid this important work, they uncovered a couple of quilts; these quilts were made by church members to commemorate key moments in church or conference history.
Two Quilts Found and Displayed in Archives and Research Center
One quilt, made by the Women’s Missionary Society and including the names of the women who worked on it, was made for the Muse family and well-loved before being donated to the IPHC. The other is still a mystery, with little to no information known about its beginnings.
This discovery got Dr. Welch thinking about her own passion for quilting. What if we could get all of our IPHC churches – from across the globe – to send in a quilt square representing their church? Then make the individual squares into a large quilt to be displayed in our OKC IPHC Headquarters? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
One square recently arrived from Holly Hill PHC in Vanceboro, North Carolina. It simply holds a picture of the church, its name, the town where it is located, and the conference in which it resides. The church’s historian also included a brief history booklet. While not required, capturing your church’s history is vitally important to the broader history of the IPHC. If you choose to send a brief history in addition to the quilt, it will be an important part of the IPHC archives, added to our database, and accessible via an online digital copy.
Quilt Square Submitted by Holly Hill PHC in Vanceboro, NC
Church History Booklet from Holly Hill PHC
Rev. McDade explained that the square could hold anything: just the name, an embroidery of some sort, or the church’s logo; really, the possibilities are endless. Another idea is to send in a t-shirt that has the church’s logo on it. Dr. Welch will then use the shirt to make the square. Whatever you choose to put on or use as your square, just remember that the square must be made of fabric and not larger than 16×16 inches.
Dr. Welch shared: “There is nothing more important than the individuals who make up the IPHC’s history. It is a church family, and every member is vitally important.” Rev. McDade echoed this sentiment: “Your church is a piece of the big IPHC puzzle, and without you, we are not complete.”
Please send your quilt squares to the Archives and Research Center at:
IPHC Global Ministries Center
Attn: Department: Archives & Research
P.O. Box 12609
Oklahoma City, 73157
