THE 4 Corners Festival theme this year is 'Home'. Father Martin Magill, Reverend Steve Stockman and the entire 4 Corners team invite you to experience yourself differently.

Move across the city, attend something somewhere you might never have thought of being. Take a chance, don't be one of the people who complains about the state of the city but never does anything different in it.

The festival understands that we are all being asked to take chances if we are to complete the journey of peacemaking. And while the festival has emerged out of faith communities in the city, it's not a prerequisite to have a faith to attend anything. For some people I have brought to events, it has simply been enough to see many in our churches working together beyond historical differences for the common good. And that's not something that much of the mainstream media have time for.

Where would we be without textiles? Literally the cloth on our backs. Their evolution and techniques have changed with fashion, changes in the environment, geopolitics and trade wars. Take linen, for instance, on which so much of Belfast's industrial wealth was built. Many families moved from the countryside to the city to find work in the mills, bringing with them massive social change.The working conditions were appalling, but the togetherness that working on weaving, knitting or quilting creates developed a bond that moves beyond words. That remains the case.

4 Corners has acknowledged this and so they're bringing over Heidi and Peter Gardner, a husband and wife artist duo who have developed the 'Peace Loom' and who will be installed in 2 Royal Avenue for the duration of the festival. It's a large French knitting loom to which people are invited to bring wool and have a go themselves, or simply experience for themselves the joy of watching French clothes being made. If you're the kind of person who laments the fact that children or grandchildren no longer witness crafts being made, or if you're simply interested in the joy that colour and connectiveness can bring, then maybe this is for you. 

Peace Loom is at 2 Royal Avenue from noon on Saturday, February 1 to 3pm on Saturday, February 8. 2 Royal Avenue is Belfast City Council's community space in the old Tesco building on Royal Avenue. It offers a relaxed space with multiple free events happening daily.

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Still on textiles and the 4 Corners knitters are out in force again and are inviting knitters from around the city on Saturday, February 1 to meet and have a good knit. You may or may not be aware that all across the city there are knitting and crochet clubs which make all sorts, from hats for homeless people, sailors and refugees, as well as  baby clothes for premature infants. Twiddle muffs are also turned out for people with dementia to help keep their hand dexterity. This army of knitters help collectively and individually to make a difference to the lives of those around them and they are a developmental force for good in the city.

This year on Saint Brigid's Day, they will be making St Brigid's crosses at St John's Newtownbreda. You will be welcomed with refreshments and you can take part in your own knitting project or start a new one. Some materials will be provided. At the very least you can get a look around a contemporary Presbyterian centre attached to a vibrant church.

4 Corners Knitters, Saturday, February 1, 2pm to 4pm, St John's Newtownbreda, 374-378 Ormeau Road.

The morning service broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster on Sunday, February 2 will be at St John the Evangelist, Falls Road. This is a ticketed event and if you have ever wondered how they manage the Sunday Morning service you might want to grab a free ticket and be one of the 300 people present. Or you can simply switch on your radio.

If we look at the issue of 'Home' in the city we must look at homelessness. Siobhan Garrigan, Loyola Professor of Theology at Trinity College Dublin, will be coming to St Comgall's where she will share theological perspectives on homelessness, arguing that for theology to play its part in ending homelessness, it must better understand its own idea of 'Home'. She will suggest the twin forces of consumerism and nationalism cause much of the homelessness experienced in today's world, weaving together biblical and ritual sources. St Comgall's, Tuesday, February 4, 7.30pm. 

The continued importance of the festival within the city is not only in getting people to move about the city, but for Fr Magill, Rev Stockman and the rest of the steering group it's about getting people outside of the boundaries of their faith  denominations to be allowed to create the environment for conversations, debate and new thoughts to filter into our traumatised society. People return from all over the world to attend the festival as through such events it brings hope, renewed vigour and a sense that something new is possible.

The 4 Corners Festival runs from January 31 to February 9. You can find out all you need at www.4cornersfestival.com