Welcome to the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement

All the world's major religions are faced with having to come to terms with a modern understanding of homosexuality. The place of gay and lesbian people in the life of the Church is currently Christianity's most divisive issue. Confronting homophobia is its greatest challenge. The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement is proclaiming a basic Christian truth. It is working for the very love and freedom that Christ brings to his people through his life, death and resurrection. LGCM is working for love, for peace, for justice, and for the promotion of the Christian faith especially within the LGBT community.
Christians at Pride Logo Faith and Sexuality Project LGCM Carol Service

  1. 2011 Annual Conference and AGM in Birmingham: 24-26 June

    24 June 2011

    CHEESE & WINE

    We started off our weekend celebration with a Cheese and Wine evening and opportunity to meet the Trustees, Chief Executive and Keynote speaker. During the eating, drinking and socialising there was also the chance to buy books and T shirts and pick up a plethora of free information leaflets. A good time was had by all.

    Volunteers at work - Linda Hurcombe (Trustee), Julia Kossowska(local volunteer) and Franka Strietzel (National volunteer)

    Volunteers at work - Linda Hurcombe (Trustee), Julia Kossowska(local volunteer) and Franka Strietzel (National volunteer)

    Trustees Mike Egan (Chair) and Savi Hensman (Vice Chair) chatting with Ed Edelsey (Member)

    Keynote speaker James Alison with Nigel Nash our Brighton group convenor

    Keynote speaker James Alison with Sharon Ferguson (Chief Executive)


    AGM

    Mike Egan, Chair of Trustees, chaired the AGM with his usual professional aplomb. There was plenty of discussion of the necessary items on the Agenda along with ideas to help improve sustainability of the organisation. However, there were also moments of fun and joy as we celebrated 35 years with a rainbow coloured cake.

    It took all the Trustees to blow out the candles!

    Michael Egan

    Rev Sharon Ferguson, LGCM's CEO

    Sharon and Savi Hensman

    Trustees blowing out the candles on our 35th Birthday cake

    New Board Member, Louise Detain

    New Board Member, Louise Detain



    AWARDS

    Every year we present awards to people either for their work within LGCM or for their work towards our cause. This year we presented 5 awards:

    Peter Martin - for his many years of support of the work of LGCM especially as the Convenor of the Southampton Local Group.

    Peter Crawford - for his commitment and dedication to YLGC (Young LGBT Christians) and for encouraging and promoting the involvement of young LGBT Christians in both mainstream Christian and secular LGBT events such as Greenbelt and Pride through Outerspace and CTAP (Christians Together at Pride).

    John Blowers - For his many years of support of the work of LGCM especially as the Convenor of the Essex Local Group and his dedication and commitment to the Evangelical Fellowship.

    Roberta Rominger - For her support and relentless pursuit for full acceptance of LGBT Christians within all areas of life within the United Reformed Church.

    Clare Herbert

    Clare Herbert - For her dedication in working towards full acceptance of LGBT Christians within the life of the Church of England especially through her work in Inclusive Church and the LGBT Anglican Coalition.


    WORKSHOPS

    The standard of workshops was incredibly high and judging from the feedback very well received. In the morning the workshops looked at the progress and the work still to be done from the perspective of five different denominations and in the afternoon we looked at our faith journeys as lgbt people and the issues of age and youth.

    Teraina Hird - Trans journeys

    Teraina Hird - Trans journeys

    Roberta Rominger - URC perspectives

    Youth Perspectives

    Alex, Peter, Louise and Jenni from YLGC - youth today

    Alex

    Sam Lowe - faith journeys

    Chris Dowd - working with youth

    Nick Maxwell - Open Doors, Age UK



    KEYNOTE ADDRESS

    James Alison provided the keynote address and talked about forgiveness. We were able to video his speech and hopefully we will have it on line for everyone to hear again in the near future. We’re grateful to Nicholas Coulton and Michael Donovan for providing these notes.



    ENTERTAINMENT

    We were very blessed to have the services of Tim Batty the URC’s resident Music Coordinator to provide piano accompaniment for all our worship and for Sister Winifred on the Saturday night. The entertainment Saturday night rounded off a wonderful day. We were entertained by the comedy and voice of Sister Winifred and this was followed by Ju Blencowe sharing with us her personal journey of faith through her songs.

    Tim Batty

    Sister Winifred

    Ju Blencowe

    Ju Blencowe

    Ju Blencowe

    Ju Blencowe



    SUNDAY WORSHIP WITH THE URC

    Several people stayed over Saturday night and joined with the host church at Carr’s Lane and Journey MCC for Sunday worship. Sharon preached on the sacrifice of Isaac the video of which is here.

    Sunday Morning Service

    Sunday Morning Service

    Category: Previous Event


  2. LGCM is concerned by the legal advice being offered to the Church of England regarding gay bishops

    22 June 2011

    This week lawyers for the Church of England indicated that in line with the 2010 Equality Act the Church cannot allow sexual orientation in itself to be grounds for preventing a priest being promoted to the role of bishop. However, consistent with provisions contained within the Act for a religious organisation to act in accordance with its doctrine, the document, Choosing Bishops – The Equality Act 2010, makes clear that those considered for promotion must be celibate and to have been celibate during their time as a priest. Being in a civil partnership is not a bar to becoming a bishop as long as this condition is met. Candidates will be asked about their past and will be required to repent of any past sexual activity which took place before ordination.

    The Rev Sharon Ferguson, Chief Executive of LGCM, said: “In the light of our call recently that the Church of England should at least honour its own position in Issues in Human Sexuality LGCM recognises an attempt to achieve that in these guidelines. Whilst they do at least attempt to address the requirements of the law and help prevent the ongoing cycle of deception and dishonesty about which we have expressed concern, they are still setting a standard for bishops whose orientation is homosexual which is not required of bishops who are heterosexual. It is particularly concerning that gay candidates for the bishopric must repent of relationships they had in the past when no such requirement is placed on heterosexual candidates who may have engaged in extramarital relationships.”

    LGCM is concerned that the guidelines would still exclude people like Canon Dr Jeffrey John who while now in a celibate relationship has been open that this relationship was not always so. Furthermore the guidelines, in keeping with rights contained within the Equality Act, would allow promotion to be blocked where the appointment of even a celibate gay bishop would be seen as divisive.

    Rev Sharon Ferguson added: “The additional provision is so general it would effectively allow many of the same dioceses who currently block the appointment of gay bishops to continue to do so. Also, as the provisions only apply to those clergy who are either known or suspected to be gay it is likely to continue to encourage an atmosphere of denial and lying since the honesty and integrity of people like Jeffrey John could still prohibit promotion to the the bishopric.”

    Further concerns for LGCM arise from how such guidelines could be implemented and enforced without considerable intrusion on a person’s private life. Again, something that would not even be considered for a heterosexual candidate.

    Category: LGBT Anglican Coalition, Press Releases


  3. LGCM welcomes the United Nations resolution on the rights of LGBT people

    The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM)welcomes last Friday’s decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to adopt a resolution to document discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.

    A statement by the United Nations said that the Council requested the High Commissioner initiate a study to be completed by December “to document discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, in all regions of the world, and how international human rights law could be used to end violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

    The resolution was passed narrowly by 23 states to 19 with 3 abstentions. The motion expressed “grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”

    Rev Sharon Ferguson, Chief Executive of LGCM, said: “This is very good news indeed for people around the world whose sexual orientation in itself is enough to put their lives at risk. Obviously it won’t end discrimination and the very real threat of death that many LGBT people face but it draws a clear line for the first time and says that the world is watching.”

    LGCM notes with deep concern and sadness however that the nations that voted against the resolution did so very largely from religious convictions about homosexuality, whether these be Christian or Muslim beliefs.

    Rev Sharon Ferguson added: “We cannot deny the deeply worrying, though entirely expected, rejection of the resolution by nations whose attitudes to LGBT people are based on religious understandings of human sexuality and relationships. We continue to work and pray with other LGBT faith-based organisations to challenge such hatred and bigotry which is not in accord with the deepest principles of either Christianity or Islam.”

    Category: Press Releases, Uncategorized