Cause End Road
Wootton
Bedfordshire
MK43 9DE
Welcome to our new minister, Rev Caroline Weaver
Hello everyone, 
Well, here I am, so I ought to introduce myself. I was born in Birkenhead, on the Wirral, where I spent the first 18 years of my life. The first Christian gatherings I attended were in my carrycot, after which both my parents became members of the Methodist Church. My contribution was the occasional gurgle or cry. No change there.
It was whilst at school that I felt I had a vocation – to be a librarian - so I set off to study at the College of Librarianship and the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, reading Librarianship and Spanish. I also picked up a smattering of Welsh on the way. I can say ‘Huw is in the bath’, ‘The milk is by the door’ and ‘Come in, David’, but when I get creative, invite Huw in, have David by the door and the milk in the bath, it all gets a bit surreal.
My time at University was very happy, especially the year I spent studying at Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Being from a non-conformist tradition it was a revelation to discover something of the spirituality, beliefs and practices of a Roman Catholic country, and I was amazed to see statues paraded in the streets and pilgrims heading for the shrine of St James on their knees.
My first post after qualifying as a librarian was based in Hemel Hempstead and I became a member of Marlowes Church. I can still remember my first visit. It was Harvest festival, and the church was filled with the sight and fragrance of flowers and fruit. I spent 21 years working for Hertfordshire Libraries in various posts. I never expected to do anything else, as my career combined a love of people with a love of words, languages and resources.
However, the most important thread in my life is the knowledge, love, experience and call of God, which in some mysterious way is woven through me. As a youngster, I could not have articulated my faith, but I always knew that I belonged to God and that the Christian people I met were as much family to me as my own family were. For years I envied people who could name the place, date and even the time of their conversion. It seemed that God didn’t deal with me in that way and I sometimes felt, or thought others believed me to be, 2nd class - not a real Christian at all.
Despite that, or maybe because of it, there came a time when just being a member of the church wasn’t enough and I knew I had to become a preacher. I was terrified. The studying was fascinating but standing up in front of the people, especially perched high up in a pulpit, was scary. But people were encouraging and soon after I began preaching someone suggested I ought to become a minister. I though and prayed about that, knew that that God was asking me to be a Christian where I lived and assumed therefore that I wasn’t called to be a minister.
Many years later, there was a place (in bed) and a time (in the middle of the night) and a date (but, would you believe, I can’t remember it now!) when I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God was calling me to a Christian where I lived and also calling me to be a minister. So began a different journey towards a different role and I spent 3 years driving back and forth to Cambridge for theological training whilst continuing to work for the Library Service. The one thing I was absolutely sure about was that I couldn’t possible work in the prison.
I’ve been in ministry for 12 years, serving a number of very different churches in the circuit and have now been minister to everyone– definitely time to leave. I’ve also just completed 10 years as Free Church Chaplain at the prison and have loved it, which proves that God has a sense of humour.
In my leisure time I relax in many ways - conversation and food with friends, complicated and colourful knitting, music, travelling, gardening, walking, days out and exhibitions. I am inspired by words, languages, music, drama, art, colour, people and sometimes silence. I am also ‘owned’ by 2 cats who have settled in well and like Wootton very much.
So here I am, called to a different place and different people but by the same God, who knows and loves us all. I have already felt very welcome and cared for in my new home, village and this N Bedfordshire Circuit, which is, of course, new to us all. We will share much more in the future, but I hope this gives flavour of the new minister. I look forward to getting to know you and being with you.
Every blessing,
Caroline
