About
Our mission
Empowering African women through a harmonious blend of practical skills and profound spirituality.
Grounded in biblical principles, we work to nurture the God-given talents within each woman and to foster self-sufficiency and dignity. Through sewing skills, business training, and the daily infusion of biblical principles, we stitch together a future where empowerment and faith intertwine.
Where we come from
Together with Grace is a 501(c)(3) formed in November 2023 in Minster, Ohio, to support Hands of Grace Ministry, our Gabonese partner, which runs the sewing center in Libreville, Gabon. The organization is new; the relationship is not.
Our founders, Tim and Vicki Quellhorst, have stood with Hands of Grace since June 2013, when Vicki was called to the ministry. She has been to the center fifteen times to teach sewing at every level and to help build its business training, often leading a team of trainers and preparing each project and its supplies before the trip. Tim has made four trips of his own, repairing sewing machines and helping with local outreach, and over the years they have welcomed their Gabonese friends into their home many times.
Who we are
The work rests on many hands: a small board and team here in the United States, and the women who lead the Hands of Grace center in Gabon day to day.
In the United States
The board and team of Together with Grace
Vicki QuellhorstPresident
Sandy MeyerVice President
Chris FyockTreasurer
Sarah LewanSecretary
Deb KramerBoard Member
Tim QuellhorstCo-founder
Ryan QuellhorstTech Advisor
In Gabon
The women who lead Hands of Grace at the center
DelicateInventory Control
RolandeProduction Recorder & Courier
NadegeProduction Overseer
YvonneHousekeeping
CelineReporting Clerk
Marie GabrielleTranslator
What we do
At the Hands of Grace center in Libreville, the aim is to lift up widows and impoverished women by equipping them with skills that lead to self-sufficiency. The women who lead at the center also share the love of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and teach one another to meet life’s problems with the Bible’s teaching.
A biblical foundation
The day begins with praise singing and prayer, and through the day the women mentor one another in biblical principles. Prayer needs are shared daily. This is the ground everything else stands on: unity, support, and the resilience and hope to face what comes.
Sewing training
Sewing is the heart of the work. Women learn the craft at every level, from first seams to finished pieces. It is a way of creative expression, and a practical skill that can be turned toward personal and financial independence.
Machine maintenance
Alongside sewing, the women learn to care for their machines: oiling, cleaning, and proper use. Tools that are looked after last, and a center whose machines keep running can sustain itself.
Business training
From financial management to marketing, the women are prepared to open and run a sewing center of their own and to build relationships with customers. They learn to weigh the value of an item, and of the time they put into it, to arrive at a fair price.
A meal and a safe place to work
Each woman receives a nourishing meal during her day at the center, and the center itself is kept a safe, settled place to work, so she can give her attention to learning, to her craft, and to the women beside her.
The next generation
The impact reaches beyond needle and thread. Women who become skilled entrepreneurs in a nurturing community set off a ripple of change in their families and neighborhoods, contributing to the local economy and standing as examples for the generations after them.
Our partners
Much of what travels to Libreville is gathered here in the United States, by shops and churches that share our commitment to Gabonese women, alongside businesses and individual donors.
Come sew with us
If you sew, make jewelry, or know business, come with us on a short-term trip to teach alongside the women at the center. Or give toward a month of lunches or a month of rent.