As the pastor of Cross Community Church in Deerfield Beach, when we launched in March of 2012, God brought to us our very first ministry of service to Him, The Cross Quilting Ministry. For the past eight years, the Cross quilters have been making and delivering quilts with the Word of God woven into each one, to a variety of different individuals in need, from the sick and dying, to the homebound, homeless and imprisoned. But when this Coronavirus Pandemic hit, all that changed overnight.

From Quilts to Masks

On March 24th, 2020, Joyce Kauffman asked the leader of the Cross Quilting Ministry, Carolyn Miller, to watch a YouTube video about the need for masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Once Carolyn watched the video, she mobilized her 18 Cross Quilters into The Cross Mask Maker Ministry.

One of the greatest challenges was to coordinate the ladies who would be now working from home in isolation rather than the church fellowship hall as they were accustomed to as a ministry team. The logistics that needed to be overcome was to have material delivered to the ladies, picking up finished masks, then delivering them to those in need. Under Carolyn’s leadership, the ladies got busy and production began. Here are just some of the groups in need of masks that we were able to help:

• The Meridian of Boca Raton – an adult living facility – 110 masks
• Broward Medical Association – 120 masks
• The Center for Active Aging (formerly NE Focal Point) – 100 masks
• Lighthouse Point Police Department – 12 masks
• Women in Distress (60 adult & 40 child) – 100 masks
• Hope South Florida – 100 masks 
• Broward Partnership (Blount Road – shelter for homeless) – 100 masks

Each of the quilters have also made masks for the church family, adult and children, and for friends and family members. Their motto was the same in mask making as it was in quilt making – sharing the love of Christ for the glory of God.

Tommy Boland is Founding Pastor of The Cross in Deerfield Beach. Visit them at thecrosscc.org

For more articles by Dr. Tommy Boland, visit goodnewsfl.org/tommy-boland.