A few years back I saw the musical comedy “Church Basement Ladies.”

Staged in the ’50s, the musical was inspired by the book “Growing Up Lutheran,” which was about the ladies who work in the church basement cooking meals for its functions. As someone who grew up Lutheran, I found it hilarious. The audience concurred.

“Church ladies” can be found among all denominations. Supporting people in their own communities and worldwide, through good times and bad, these women do more than host potlucks.

Imagine the feeling of a hug in your time of deepest need. Blanket-and quilt-sewing church ladies reach out to those with the greatest needs by lovingly wrapping them in their handiwork. As humanitarian needs increase worldwide, requests for blankets and quilts do, too.

My mother, Wilma, has been a blanket-sewing church lady since 1950.

I learned just how far these women reach when I joined her group for a Tuesday sewing session back home in Wisconsin.

These 12 women, ages 60-91, lovingly make 200 blankets each year. The majority are sent throughout the world to support refugees and natural disaster victims. They also support local and national causes.

“Even Jesus was a refugee as a baby, when he and his parents fled to Egypt,” my mother said. “We visited a refugee camp in Jordan in 1970. These people had no furniture, only a pile of relief blankets in a corner, which were used as room dividers, bedding, tables, backpacks or saddles for their animals.”

Marylis Hansen was inspired to join the group after she heard about a man in Africa whose dying wish was to be buried in a blanket provided by Lutheran World Relief.

“If a child receives a blanket, it’s theirs for life,” Hansen said.

Grand Junction is home to several passionate sewing ministries. One group of 16 women meets each Tuesday at American Lutheran Church.

The 400 quilts they make annually are donated to Homeward Bound, Catholic Outreach, the St. Mary’s and Community Hospital oncology units, the local Veterans Administration hospital, Grand Junction Rescue Mission and many other organizations.

More than once, these women have seen homeless people wrapped in one of their blankets. It warms their hearts as much as the recipient’s.

“We call them ‘comfort quilts,’” said Peggy Holthus, who’s been part of this mission for 22 years. “It’s a ministry for both people who attend our church or not, and a pleasure in knowing you’re helping someone.”

All materials except the batting are donated. Tops are pieced together, then sandwiched to make colorful, quality quilts. Yarn ties hold the layers together.

Chatter and laughter abound during sewing times, as the women joke about their “quotas” and how they hope blankets made of less desirable fabric are used for mule saddles.

Popular culture often portrays church ladies as sanctimonious and judgmental, but the real church ladies are hard at work, representing the backbone of each congregation and the heart of mission and service.