Lesbian & gay Christians
CONVENORS Nigel & Maggie
Email brighton.lgcm@ntlworld.com
Brighton Pride
Saturday August 7th from 11-00 (Starts at Madeira Drive)
Please join us at Madeira Drive by 10-30 We will be near the front of the procession.
Once again, Brighton LGCM has written to all the churches in Brighton & Hove inviting them to walk with us in Pride this year, with our banner which says Lesbian & Gay Christians and our friends praying for an inclusive Church. This year we will by joined by members of ‘Changing Attitude’ and we will be walking with members of other Christian denominations and other Faith Groups. This will be a tremendous opportunity to show solidarity with other Christians and other Faiths groups who face similar struggles to ourselves in being recognised and accepted within their communities.
Do please come and walk with us, at least for some of the way, if not all of it, because it is such a powerful witness to see Christians walking together at Pride. In the first year we did this, many people along the route were saying ‘thank you’ to us, which demonstrated the powerful need for Christians to be visible at this event.
After the procession, there will be a Faith Area in the park which people can visit, and there will be a form of shared worship and celebration which all can participate in.
At 4-00 pm there will be the now traditional ‘Service of Welcome to Pride’ at St John’s Church, Preston Park. (Opposite Shell Garage) I hope everyone will support this.
Changing Attitude Events for your diary
Monday 2nd August 8 pm Chapel Royal Open meeting: What exactly do we mean by ‘open and welcoming churches?’
Monday 4th October 8 pm Chapel Royal Keynote speaker: Rev Christina Beardsley
Monday 6th December 8pm Chapel Royal Keynote speaker: Rev Nicholas Frayling, Dean of Chichester
There will be more LGCM events advertised from September, but as you see there is a lot happening over the next months.
Please support all the meetings and events, and I look forward to seeing you soon
Nigel Nash
Convenor
Brighton & Hove LGCM
PRESS RELEASE
Bishop informed of survey of churches’ attitudes to gaysOn Tuesday evening, 22nd June, at the Bishop’s Palace, the Bishop of Chichester, the Right Reverend Dr John Hind, and other members of the church hierarchy received representatives of two gay organisations to discuss their plans for a survey of the attitudes of churches in his diocese towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people. Changing Attitude Sussex and the Brighton and Hove Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement are working together to produce a ‘Which Church?’ dossier for LGBT people based on the results of the survey. They will ask churches to put themselves into one of four categories, from a traditionalist ‘homosexuality is condemned by the Bible’ view at one end, to an affirming ‘openly gay people, including those in LGBT relationships, are integral to the life of our church’ approach at the other.
Bishop John responded to the initiative, saying ‘I consider the proposed survey to be a helpful and appropriate contribution to the process of listening to the experience of gay people, commended to all in the Anglican Communion by the 1998 Lambeth Conference.’
Those present at the meeting agreed that the issue is a serious and sensitive one, and that the results of the forthcoming survey would provide a sound basis for further discussion.
Dr Keith Sharpe, Chair of Changing Attitude Sussex, commented, ‘This was a very positive and productive meeting. We were pleased to hear the Bishop emphasise both the commitment of the church to the pastoral care of LGBT people and the importance of listening to their experience, something enjoined on all Anglicans. His supportive attitude to this significant project will be helpful in ensuring a good response to the survey. We believe the eventual dossier will be very useful to LGBT people in choosing a church. Other organisations are watching what we are doing and this survey may become a model for similar projects in other parts of the country. We hope therefore that the Diocese of Chichester will be seen to be in the vanguard of an important development.’
The survey will start in the Autumn. In the first phase it will be sent to all C of E churches in Brighton and Hove. Later it will be extended to cover churches of all Christian denominations across the whole of Sussex. More information can be found at www.changingattitudesussex.com
Lisa Williamson
Diocesan Communications Officer
Diocese of Chichester
Tel: 01273 425691 Mob: 07775022461
Email: lisa.williamson@diochi.org.uk
Diocesan Church House, 211 New Church Road, Hove BN3 4ED
The Chichester Diocesan Fund and Board of Finance (Incorporated) Charity No 243134
A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered No 133558
