The Southern New England Sacred Ally Quilt Tour

The Southern New England Sacred Ally Quilt Tour

A powerful quilt exhibition memorializing the words of George Floyd will be traveling throughout the Southern New England Conference this spring. 

The Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry was formed by nine New Hampshire United Church of Christ congregations, who came together in response to the senseless killing of George Floyd. The exhibition prayerfully, stitch by stitch, invites us to be more deeply present with his final words. 

“George Floyd’s pain won’t go away. We respect it, walk gingerly around it as one would around a grave. We honor his pain with this stitching, these prayers in thread,” said the Rev. Mark Koyama, pastor of the United Church of Jaffrey, NH.   “These quilts are a distillation of four hundred years of oppression. They express the devastating pain of America’s racial wounds.”  

These quilts will travel throughout the Southern New England Conference this spring, as show below.

More details will be posted as they are finalized - questions can be direct ed to Kate Ostertag. 

May 20 – 21 – Providence, RI
Hosted by Newman Congregational Church, 100 Newman Avenue, Rumford, RI in collaboration with The Rhode Island Council of Churches. For more information, contact Minister for Faith Formation Christy Wynveen.

  • May 20, Exhibit Open 10 :00 AM to 4:00 PM
    - 10:00 AM:   Opening remarks and a Racial Equity Storytime
    - 11:00 AM:  Avid quilter Joan Potter will lead a discussion and demonstration about political quilts.
    - 1:00 PM:  Felipe Agudelo and Venson Jordan will lead a discussion titled: Why the Lives of Black Lives Matter: A Discussion about Care, Humanity, and Race.
  • May 21, Exhibit Open noon to 4:00 PM
    - Noon:  Music performed by Geoffrey Greene
    - 2:30 PM: Closing ceremony

May 26 - 29 - Winchester, CT
Hosted by the Winchester Center Congregational Church, 1 West Road, Winchester Center, CT (On the corner of State Route 263 and Chapel Road, Winsted, CT 06098)

Racial Justice Quilt Exhibit: A Response to the Death of George Floyd

Display of the “Sacred Ally Quilts” with Viewing of the film “Stitch, Breathe, Speak” & Quilt Code Blocks with Descriptions/ Explanations

  • Friday, May 26, from 6pm – 8pm
  • Saturday, May 27, from 10am – 5pm
  • Sunday, May 28, noon – 5pm

Meditation on Breath and Life

  • Sat., May 27 @ 10am
  • Sun., May 28 @ noon in the Gazebo

Drumming Circle and Storytelling

  • Sat., May 27 @ 2pm provided by “Our Culture is Beautiful,” Torrington

Display of the “Sacred Ally Quilts”

For more information, call 860-379-8900 or email: Secretary@winchestercentercongchurch.org ~ www.winchestercentercongchurch.org 

June 2 - 4 - Framingham, MA
Hosted by the Edwards House Meeting & Retreat Center, 1 Badger Road, Framingham, MA, in collaboration with Edwards Church. 

  • Friday, June 2
    • 5:00 – 7:00 pm –Sacred Ally Quilt Opening Reception and Showing at Edwards House, Stitch, Breathe, Speak film showing and Vespers (Evening Prayer Service). Attendees are invited to enjoy refreshments, walk through the quilt exhibit, and view a film, Stitch, Breathe, Speak, which describes the transformative process of creating the quilts. At 6:30 pm, there will be a simple service of evening prayer, with gentle music, lighting of candles, and a reflection by Framingham resident Rev. Elizabeth Garrigan-Byerly. Registration is appreciated, https://sneucc-reg.brtapp.com/SAQMTourRegistration
  • Saturday, June 3
    • 10:00 am - 12:30 pm Open Viewing - no registration is required
    • 1:00 – 4:00 pm – Deepening our Understanding: Acting for Change - Attendees can walk through the quilt exhibit and view the film, Stitch, Breathe, Speak. There will be an opportunity to take action through a letter-writing campaign. At 3:30 pm, there will be a worship service, featuring music by the Framingham-based Willie Sordillo ensemble, and reflections by Framingham resident Dr. Grace Gamez, Assistant Director for Advocacy at the Center for Anti-Racist Research and Rev. Darrell Goodwin, Minister and President of the Southern New England Conference of the UCC. Registration is appreciated, https://sneucc-reg.brtapp.com/SAQMTourRegistration
  • Sunday, June 4 
    • 10:00 am - 12:30 pm Open Viewing - no registration required
    • 1:00 – 3:00 pm – A Mosaic of Hope: Stories, Quilts & Stepping Stones – A special opportunity for youth and families. Sacred Ally Quilt Showing accompanied by indoor and outdoor engagements created for an intergenerational experience - registration is appreciated, https://sneucc-reg.brtapp.com/SAQMTourRegistration 

                         All Edwards House events are free and open to the public. Donations are welcome to defer the costs to offer. 

June 9 - 10, Worcester MA
Showing for delegates to the New England Synod Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, DCU Center - Event Registration Required

June 16 – 17 – Worcester, MA
Showing for delegates to the SNEUCC Annual Meeting, DCU Center - Event Registration Required

June 19 – 21 – Boston, MA
Hosted by the Congregational Library & Archives, 14 Beacon Street, Boston, MA. Includes a companion exhibition, Threads of Resistance: Black Voices and Women’s Activism, drawn from the library’s collections. For more information, contact info@14beacon.org.

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