Cambridge Weaving Trust: Event Reflections

By Cambridge Citizens' leader Reverend Canon David Maher

On Wednesday 21 October, the Church of the Good Shepherd hosted a Weaving Trust evening with Cambridge Citizens.

We were pleased with the range of ages and mix of people who came. There were people from local churches and Great St Mary’s in the city centre, and a couple from the local mosque. To our delight, we realised we already knew one of them well: a local cab driver who had grown up next to the church.

Most people had never been to a Weaving Trust event before. Many weren’t quite sure what they were signing up for, but came because someone they knew had invited them. Those relationships helped bring the room together.

Through short conversations in pairs, we explored what we love about our communities, our hopes for them, and the pressures facing us and our families. People really engaged with the questions, and we found common ground as we listened to one another.

One pair discovered that, although she was at the beginning of her career in computing and he was coming towards the end of his, they shared similar hopes and pressures in their field. It was a lovely example of how taking time to talk can reveal connections across generations.

In the reflection afterwards, people said how much they appreciated the welcome and hospitality of the Good Shepherd. They had felt comfortable and were surprised at how much they enjoyed the evening. The main question was: “When can we do it again?”

We came away encouraged and hopeful that this was the start of something good. We hope to follow up with the participants through one-to-one conversations soon, continuing to build these relationships and explore what we might do together.