The mysterious, frantic work of the Main Street United Methodist Church Quilting Guild has caused rumors to fly for months.

The guild’s 12 members, along with a few other helpers, have met each Wednesday since September to work on a special project. Over that time, they’ve crocheted and beaded more than 300 beautiful white-and-gold ornaments that adorn the 12-foot Chrismon Tree that will make its debut at services Sunday.

“There have been a lot of rumors going around,” said Peggy Hopewell, who headed up the project. “A lot of people have seen us working.”

Hopewell said she and her group were enlisted by Barbara McPhail for the project, and she set about finding out everything she could about Chrismons.

“We hadn’t had a Chrismon Tree in years,” Hopewell said. “I got on the Internet and learned everything I could and ordered all the pearls and the gold beads.”

Then guild members had to sort out all the beads and meticulously assemble the ornaments, one bead or pearl at a time, she said. The guild normally meets on Mondays, but with such a Herculean task before them, they began meeting twice a week this fall.

The church’s quilting guild has been in existence for more than a year, said Hopewell, whose mother taught her to knit as a child. Before starting on the tree project, they had mostly been crocheting prayer shawls for hospital patients.

She said the work has been rewarding and she’s anxious for fellow church members to see it.

“It’s been a real thrill for me to see people who have never knitted before do it,” she said. “You wouldn’t believe the excitement in the group.

“There has been a lot of coming together and that’s what it’s all about. I can’t wait for Sunday.”

Service times at Main Street United Methodist Church are 8:30 and 11 a.m. on Sundays. The church is located at 202 N. Main Street. For more information, call the church at 539-8751, or visit the Web site at www.mainstumc.org.