Amanda Fenton shares a story from several years ago, where circle helped to host a space for honouring and learning in a community.

The email came in with a short invitation: “I am planning a gathering and wonder if you are available and interested in helping me to lead a circle?”

The purpose of the night was around a “Bridge Mat Shelter Program” that had been going on in several communities. The program used church facilities and volunteers on a rotating basis to provide shelter for unhoused community members, and because of their activism a permanent shelter and transition housing was being built.

The minister of one of the host churches recognized that after 8 years of hosting the Mat Shelter Program (and their last hosting month just completed), it was time to come together to hear some of the stories of their experience. So that through their stories they could both honour their contributions as well as hear what they have learned about themselves and their community.

Thirty two people – volunteers, shelter guests, community organizers and me – came together in circle for a one-of-a-kind evening.

The circle’s center held some important objects: a soup ladle, a coffee cup, candies.

We began with a short check-in to meet who had accepted the invitation to join the evening, and one word on how people were feeling. We heard words like excited, grateful, hopeful, curious, fulfilled, happy and thankful. After our check-in we shifted to the stories. To think about a moment from the Mat Shelter Program where you were impacted. Many people around the circle shared stories of how they were touched, changed, moved or were different as a result of the Mat Shelter Program. We agreed to hold the specific stories in confidence, but release the collective wisdom from what we heard.

To close our circle, we invited people to share something they heard tonight that they want to carry forward – for themselves personally or for their community. We heard themes of gratitude, hope, appreciation, insight, unity, and energy for doing more – that shelters are not the end goal but for houslessness and poverty to be unacceptable in our society.

It was an honour to be part of this special night, and to offer circle as a space to hold the gift of their listening, witnessing, stories and reflections.