Inclusive Church
Our Open Table
Join us for our first exploratory meeting for everyone who finds their faith facing challenges because of sexuality, gender identity, neurodiversity or, indeed, any other reason. We shall gather each month to create a safe-space in which we can simply be ourselves, share and rejoice in our faith. Our first gathering will be at 5.30pm on January 26th 2025 in Langley Hall. We shall consider the possibility of becoming part of the Open Table Network – find out more by visiting their website at this link.
Inclusive Church
The consensus of the APCM was that as a parish we should join Inclusive Church. We all read the Inclusive Church statement:
“We believe in inclusive church – a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate.
We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality. We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.”
Find out more about Inclusive Church by visiting their website.
Joining will raise our churches’ profile as places of safe welcome for everyone – churches where all are welcome as children of God.
Same Sex Relationships
The debates are raging across the Church of England about the Blessing of Same Sex Marriages.
We held a very civilised Afternoon Tea on the 26th of February 2023 at Langley Hall to find out what we think.
There were a range of views expressed but the great majority view was that it is important to affirm all loving relationships without making judgments about sexuality. Thus it was considered important that a blessing should be offered to all couples seeking one. This view is upheld by our Vicar.
There has been much written on this subject and we have picked out three which you might wish to have a look at. General Synod has now approved the Bishops’ paper ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ which provides suggestions which can be used in the Blessing of Same Sex Relationships. The Bishop of Oxford has written a helpful booklet and we have made available a heartfelt statement from Vaughan Roberts. All these can be downloaded from the links below.