We socialised, ate, drank, worshipped in the church (led by Revd Natasha Woodward), and held an extended business discussion about our aims and impact as a group, not yet a year old.
Mark Chater reflects on our second event in July 2024.
It is always exciting to go on a journey. My own started on a train from Arnside in Westmorland, bound for the LGB Christians gathering on 7th July 2024 in the beautiful St Mary Magdalene’s church, Paddington. As I boarded the train, I was alive with anticipation about who else would be there, which topics we would discuss, and what we would agree to achieve together.
It was our second meeting face to face, barring some 1:1 meetings. We’ve had several discussions online as well, and we frequently compare notes in a WhatsApp group. But there is no substitute for the shared sense of community from meeting together. We socialised, ate, drank, worshipped in the church (led by Revd Natasha Woodward), and held an extended business discussion about our aims and impact as a group, not yet a year old.
There were ten of us – including at least one civil servant, lawyer, accountant, educator, theologian, spiritual director, website specialist, desister, and activist. Several people came into more than one category. Such a lot of strength, authority and creative talent in the room.
You probably know this bit, but just in case: LGB Christians has four aims. They are to:
- Inform churches and other Christian organisations on specifically LGB issues – through resources, advocacy, and networking
- Campaign and educate, with others, on the rights, needs and contributions of LGB Christians and our friends – through seminars, lobbying, debate and dialogue
- Assist those suffering from discrimination, harassment or stigma on account of their sexual orientation or beliefs about sex, through networks of legal, social and spiritual support
- Provide a safe space for reflection on what it means to be gay, lesbian or bisexual and Christian – through social gatherings, prayer, retreats, publications and conferences
Inform, campaign, assist, provide. The verbs say (nearly) everything. We did a prioritising exercise, each person saying which aim they’d put in first place. Some people cheated by having two as first equal – that was me and a couple of others.
We talked honestly about how LGB Christians, soon to enter its second year of existence, needs two things: time, and money.
What we learnt from our discussion was that the four aims are inter-dependent, not sequential. It is in providing safe spaces that we learn how to inform churches and campaign on issues; it is in assisting people suffering from discrimination that we become better at providing safe spaces; it is in informing and campaigning that we understand the nature of the challenges to LGB Christians and how to protect and assist each other. There is a constantly dynamic interplay between the aims.
We talked honestly about how LGB Christians, soon to enter its second year of existence, needs two things: time, and money. Everyone present was asked to think seriously about both, and undertook to take some actions. I hope that anyone else reading this will also think about what money and time they can spare for LGB Christians. Financial giving, blog-writing, campaigning, editing and honing messages, legal help, pastoral support – there is always something to do!
We’ve all been on journeys to reach this meeting, and our journeys continue. We deepened our shared understanding of the journey from two-dimensional inclusivity and ‘be kind’ towards realisation of a more complex reality, and how that journey has affected us, changing our view on strategy and messages.
Because it’s more complex than a lot of people imagine, explaining our position takes time. Getting heard, working through those initial freeze-outs and accusations of transphobia, changing official positions, making headway on policy and practice – it takes time. We need patience and persistence. We need single-mindedness, so that we do not get distracted from our unique role as a Christian organisation.