Pieces of the biggest quilt in America are coming to the Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ at the corner of Hovey and Dennison streets in Oxford Village.
Four sections (or ‘blocks?) of The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display at the neighborhood church from Monday, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Dec. 9.
‘It has been our tradition to commemorate World AIDS Day, which is always Dec. 1,? said Rev. Karen Moeschberger, pastor of Immanuel Congregational UCC. ‘We feel it’s important to stand in solidarity with those living with HIV and AIDS.?
Each 144-square-foot block contains eight individual three-foot by six-foot panels sewn together. Virtually every panel memorializes someone who’s died of AIDS.
‘That represents 32 lives that have been lost to AIDS,? said Moeschberger, referring to the four blocks coming to Oxford.
Quilt sections will be on display at Immanuel from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday and from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays, the blocks can be viewed from 1-6 p.m.
Founded in 1987, The AIDS Memorial Quilt is the largest ongoing community arts project in the world and has raised more than $4 million for direct services for people with AIDS.
The entire quilt consists of 5,748 sections containing approximately 46,000 panels. If all the panels were laid end-to-end they would be 52.25 miles long.
The quilt’s total size is 1,293,300 square feet, the equivalent of 275 NCAA basketball courts with walkway. It weighs more than 54 tons.
More than 91,000 names are on the quilt, which represents 17.5 percent of all AIDS deaths in the United States.
Moeschberger said members of Immanuel Congregational UCC will be marching in both the Oxford and Lake Orion Christmas parades on Dec. 1.
‘We will be reminding people that this is World AIDS Day (by carrying banners),? she said. ‘We’re going to hopefully be distributing some fliers (promoting) the AIDS Quilt at the church.?
For more information about the quilt visit www.aidsquilt.org.