Mother day gift unusual

A warm gift

For Emily Nerland, quilts mean more than warmth. They are a sign of love. When she was recovering from breast cancer, a friend gave her a quilt, a gift that meant more to her than anything else she received.

And for the last seven years, Nerland has shared the gift of quilts with her friends at Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minn. She provides fabric squares to her congregation's quilting group, which donates its works to Lutheran World Relief.

Each Christmas, and for other special occasions throughout the year, Nerland gives cards to loved ones with a special message about Jesus and a note saying a section of quilt top has been given in their honor. She also attaches swatches of the fabrics so the receivers can envision their pieces as the quilt makes its way to a needy family somewhere in the world.

Nerland got the idea for her unusual gifts after watching the Emmy-winning TV special The Quilt: Hope from the Heartland, which was reported by her friend Kevin Wallevand.

"Quilts are so important," she said. "For me, it gave a lot of comfort. For some families it keeps them warm."

Nerland is always on the lookout for fabric that matches a person's personality. The quilting group, she said, appreciates having new fabric to use instead of old blankets or sheets.

Though she hadn't planned to make the quilt-square donations an ongoing contribution, the reaction she received inspired her to continue.

"I was surprised at how much people enjoy the gift," she said. "It's really blossomed since the first year. But I love doing it."

David Hetland, a graduate of Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., received a national Visual Arts Award in the seasonal/occasional category, presented by Ministry & Liturgy magazine. The award recognizes an artist who is setting standards for liturgical art in the church. Hetland designed a mural for Concordia's Christmas concert titled O Holy Night, which reflects the Nativity story as well as conditions following Sept. 11.

Rebecca Ashdown, Kim Farringer and Laura Westerberg, science students at Texas Lutheran University, Seguin, were among 17 collegians chosen nationwide to participate in a National Science Foundation summer program.

Niall Slater, Redeemer, Atlanta, was elected president of Phi Beta Kappa, America's oldest academic honor society. She is a professor of classics at Emory University in Atlanta.

Dan Shutters, pastor of Zion, Grantville, Pa., placed third in a writing contest sponsored by The Legacy Project and Reader's Digest. The contest called for Mother's Day stones based on the theme "Something to remember me by." To read Shutters' story online, go to www.grandmaconnection.com/ mother'sday/runup3rd.html.

Gary Fincke, an English professor and director of the Writers' Institute at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pa., won the Flannery O'Connor Prize for fiction writing, selected from nearly 900 entries. His winning entry, Sorry I Worried You (to be published in fall 2004), is Fincke's fourth collection of short stories.

Mary Ann Michelsen and Ann Horton, Grace, Ukiah, Calif., as members of the Mendocino Artist Quilting Guild, placed first in the annual American Quilters Society quilt exposition, held in Nashville, Tenn. The exposition drew more than 400 quilts from around the world.

Mark Jacobson, an ELC A missionary who directs Selian Lutheran Hospital, Arusha, Tanzania, received a Wittenberg Award, given at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., by the Luther Institute.

Laurence Skog, Emmanuel, Vienna, Va., was inducted into the Academy of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, where he received his undergraduate degree. He is a curator and a research scientist at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Jessie Poulson, St. Martin, Archbold, Ohio, won the Ohio FFA Proficiency Award in the area of food, science and technology. He did research on the acceptability of soy and soy foods.

100+club:

709: Elizabeth Bennett, First St. Paul, Hastings, Neb. 702: Maggie Evenson, Grace, Cambridge, Wis. 101: Ruth Daube, Victory, Mesa, Ariz.; Ella Hoff, Our Savior, Sacred Heart, Minn. 100: Odvin B. Fure, Trinity, Kiester, Minn.; Elma Miller, St. John, Port Clinton, Ohio; Ida Wall, Souris [N.D.] Parish; Antonie Schwettmann, Salem, Brenham, Texas; Florence Stewart, Victory, Mesa, Ariz.; Esther Thibeault, First Trinity, Washington, D.C.

Share your good news of accomplishments and awards in "Faces." Send to: kkastila@elca.org or "Faces," The Lutheran, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631-4183.

Jeff Favre

Favre is a contributing editor of The Lutheran.