I’m so encouraged by the success of the Knitwits – a group of ladies (men are welcome too!) who are meeting monthly at WMC for a morning of conversation and friendship over tea while working on their knitting, crochet and similar projects. Wonderfully, the group has also plugged into the 67 Blankets movement (where blankets are knitted for Mandela Day and distributed among needy communities), but the real gift of the Knitwits is the way that they bring all kinds of people together around a common interest. What that suggests is that this kind of group (an informal gathering around a common interest) can easily be replicated. The key ingredient that has made it work however, is intentionality – these days we need someone with the vision and the drive to move us out of our post-Covid apathy into action :) and Wendy and her team have done a brilliant job in doing this.

But, you may ask, is having tea over knitting needles an authentic expression of the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ? Maybe not at first glance, but when that group is intentionally welcoming people from both within and outside of our church community, offering warm hospitality and friendship without any other agenda, this creates a safe space for real sharing and deepening relationship where people can ask questions and explore connecting with our WMC community in other ways.

Well done Knitwits! Anyone else out there inspired to try something similar to connect with the wider community?