Virginia Tech Comforter Project
By Les Horning, Christiansburg Mennonite Church
It began with a simple question. “What can we do?” It’s a question many were asking following the tragedy at Virginia Tech on Monday, April 16, 2007, which resulted in thirty-three persons losing their lives and twenty-seven others being injured. As we at Christiansburg Mennonite Fellowship were asking ourselves that question, the idea was raised that we could make comforters, using the Virginia Tech colors of maroon and orange, for each of the families who had lost a loved one.
Once the idea was embraced, our next step was to meet with personnel at Virgina Tech to make sure this would be an appropriate and welcome gesture. As we met with the associate dean of students, and presented our idea, he made the point that while the families of those persons killed were being showered with attention, those persons who had been injured were feeling “left out.” We immediately agreed to change our focus and they agreed to partner with us by distributing the comforters.
We then decided to invite other congregations to enter into this project. At the 2007 Virginia Conference Assembly in Hickory, NC, an invitation was issued and the 27 comforters were quickly spoken for. Over the following months, the comforters began to arrive in a dazzling variety of styles and color schemes. By April 16, 2008, all 27 comforters had arrived and on Sunday, April 20, we laid out all the comforters around the perimeter of the sanctuary and dedicated them at the conclusion of the service. We prayed them on their way, confident that they will indeed bring much comfort for years to come.
Contact Virginia Mennonite Conference:
Tel: (540) 434-9727 Fax: (540) 434-7627
901 Parkwood Dr., Harrisonburg , VA 22802
info@vmconf.org