Eighty-seven quilts were draped on the back of Redeemer Lutheran Church’s 44 pews during a recent service.

Some of them were draped near the pulpit at the altar of the church, too.

The quilts were handmade over the course of a year by eight members of the church who belong to the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

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“They’re very dedicated women, and they work very hard,” said Lin Barnett, Redeemer’s president of Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

The quilts were blessed during a service Oct. 7 and were donated to local places, such as Todd’s Place, Anchor House Family Assistance Center and Pantry, Jackson County Clothing Center and Orphan Grain Train, and other places around the state and country.

Other Lutheran congregations made quilts for the donation, too.

Nationally, the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League donates more than 35,000 quilts each year to Lutheran World Relief, according to its website.

“We do have quilts that have been made at Redeemer all around the world,” the Rev. Andrew Currao told the congregation during the service.

The church even dedicates its own room for quilting in its fellowship center, Currao said.

He said the group has likely made quilts since the congregation was started in 1947.

Quilters can be found in the room between 9 a.m. and noon each Tuesday patching together quilts with love and care, knowing they will be donated to a person who needs it.

“They’re nonstop,” Barnett said.

She said seeing the quilts on the pews was impressive since they covered each one.

“In the past, they would put a few in the first few pews, but this year, they decided to put them out to give people the idea of how many they do,” she said. “Everyone that comes in is impressed with the amount they do.”

The women also arranged the quilts on the pews ahead of the service.

“They make sure everything is color coordinated,” Barnett said. “They’re very good about what they do.”

Barnett said she hopes the quilts bring comfort to those who need them.

“Hopefully, they help bless the people that receive them,” she said.