BY DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY
Lining your pockets doesn’t have the best connotation, but that’s exactly what I did back in December. It happened at an unlikely place – a day-long class on artificial intelligence, hosted by the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives.
When I lined my pockets, though, I did it in the most low-tech way possible, and there was nothing unethical about it. I sat down to lunch at the Sheraton West Des Moines, and the lady to my left pulled a little plastic sandwich bag from her purse. Inside were 2-inch by 2-inch mini quilts in an array of colors and block designs, each with a tiny cross tucked in between the layers of fabric and batting.
The kind lady was Pat VonAhnen from Marshalltown, who’s been a Consumers Energy board director for 18 years. She started handing out the little quilts to everyone at our table.
What a delightful surprise! Then I noticed the words printed on the back. “This ‘Pocket Prayer Quilt’ was made especially for you to slip in your pocket. Throughout the day, when your fingers touch the cross inside the quilt, be mindful of God’s love and grace for you. Keep it as a tangible symbol of God’s peace.”
“You just never know who needs one,” Pat told me.
Pass it on
Pat mentioned her audiologist, who’s one of the most cheerful, upbeat people she knows. One day, though, something seemed amiss. Pat passed along a pocket prayer quilt.
That little quilt ended up being a more important source of comfort than anyone realized. The audiologist was recovering from major surgery, and it was tough. Today, the audiologist gladly shares pocket prayer quilts (which Pat supplies) with anyone who needs one.
This remarkable story reminded one of the ladies at our lunch table of Elijah in the Bible, specifically First Kings, 19:12, “… after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.” “These pocket prayer quilts are like listening to a whisper, not a big hurrah,” she noted.
Pat agreed, saying it’s that gentle whisper that usually inspires her to ask people if they’d like a pocket prayer quilt. “I’ll feel a little nudge that I should give one to the person I’m with. I listen to that small voice.”
The pocket prayer quilt ministry started simply enough when Pat sewed eight pocket prayer quilts to share at a ladies’ tea in the spring of 2025. The idea took root after her sister-in-law gave her a pocket prayer quilt for Christmas.
As Pat handed the little quilts out to the ladies during the tea, she heard a common refrain: “How did you know I needed this?”
Pat decided she could make 20 more, and that would be it. The more quilts she gave, however, the more she knew this must continue. “I wasn’t looking for another project, but it picked me,” said Pat, a longtime community volunteer. “I’d think of 10 more people I could give them to, and then I’d think of 10 more.”
Sharing the gift of hope
This pocket prayer ministry has taken on a life of its own. Pat’s pastor shares the quilts. People sometimes donate money to help Pat buy more fabric and supplies. “This has been an unexpected opportunity to share,” said Pat, who sews small and medium pocket prayer quilts for people of all ages, men and women, friends and strangers.
These little pocket prayer quilts seem even more extraordinary at Easter and spring. During this time of renewal and new life, we’re reminded, sometimes by a tiny quilt in our pocket, that the greatest gift of this season is hope.
Darcy Dougherty Maulsby lives near her family’s Century Farm northwest of Lake City. Visit her at www.darcymaulsby.com.
