ON SUNDAY 18th June, the first Open Table community in Liverpool hosted a celebration and thanksgiving communion service to mark fifteen years of creating safer sacred spaces for LGBTQIA+ Christians. The celebration was led Revd Cate Jacobs, who was ordained priest at Liverpool Cathedral the previous weekend. This is her reflection.

AT our national gathering in Cambridge on Saturday 10th June, our guest speaker was Revd Dr Jonathan Tallon, author of Affirmative: Why You Can Say Yes to the Bible and Yes to People Who Are LGBTQI+ and the website bibleandhomosexuality.org. He spoke about the understanding of ‘pride’ in the New Testament, with reference to Acts 4:1-31.

LAST YEAR OTN saw a large rise in requests for support from around the world, particularly from Uganda, where the President passed a harsh Anti-Homosexuality Act last month. In the closing communion service at our national gathering on Saturday 10th June, OTN trustee Neil Rees shared prayers of solidarity and a call to action for our LGBTQIA+ siblings.

AS WE PREPARE to celebrate the 15th birthday of the first Open Table community in Liverpool, Warren Hartley, one of its founding members, shares how the words we use in worship reflect the diversity of this community.

The Open Table Network’s 2023 national gathering is called ‘More than Equal’. OTN trustee Roo Stewart explains more about what we mean by that.

OTN is seeing a large rise in requests for support from around the world, particularly from Uganda, where the President has rejected a new hardline ‘anti-gay’ bill as not tough enough. Following a recent online meeting with several people across Uganda, OTN trustee Neil Rees shares this reflection.

THIS SERMON was given by OTN trustee Revd Dr Augustine Tanner-Ihm at the Open Table Liverpool community on the second Sunday of Easter, based on the story of ‘Doubting Thomas’ [John 20:19-31] who doubted Jesus’ resurrection until he saw Jesus with his own eyes and touched his wounds.

THIS WEEK the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Great Britain’s national equality body, advised the Minister for Women & Equalities on clarifying the definition of the protected characteristic of 'sex' in the Equality Act. Queer trans human rights lawyer Grey Collier, an Open Table community member, wrote this response.

FOLLOWING the publication of the Church of England’s draft Prayers of Love and Faith for thanksgiving, dedication and God’s blessing for same-sex couples, the Revd Cate Jacobs, a long-term member of the first Open Table community in Liverpool, has written this poem.

AS DEBATES over same-sex relationships continue in the Church of England, evangelicals are looking more and more out of touch, says OTN trustee Rev Dr Augustine Tanner-Ihm. He believes the focus should be put back on the issues Jesus and the early Church cared about.

IN MID-JANUARY the BBC leaked news that ‘Church of England bishops refuse to back gay marriage’, triggering much social media speculation and hand wringing, with many LGBTQIA+ people once again feeling deserted by the church. Nic Tall, a founding member of our Open Table Taunton community and member of General Syond, explains what happened next.

THERE WERE so many attempts at the Church of England’s General Synod to amend the House of Bishops’ motion on blessing same-gender relationships that not everyone got to speak in the main debate. One of those unheard speeches was from Andy Salmon, Rector of the church which hosts our Open Table community in Salford, who is grateful for what has been achieved.

IN RESPONSE to a proposal that prayers for blessing same-gender relationships ‘should not be contrary to… the doctrine of the Church of England’, Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, Rector of the parish where the first Open Table community began, examined the assertion that the Church of England’s teaching on marriage has not changed, and should not change.

OTN PATRON Rachel Mann used elements of this text in her speech at General Synod in response to a proposed amendment which requested ‘further legal, theological, and practical consideration’ before introducing prayers for the blessing of same-gender relationships and pastoral guidance.

ON SUNDAY 5th February, Open Table Cambridge held a celebratory service to mark the start of LGBT+ History Month. OTN Co-Chair Alex Clare-Young led a creative Communion service, with OTN Patron, Bishop of Monmputh Cherry Vann, as the guest speaker. This is Bishop Cherry’s reflection on this year’s LGBT+ History Month theme: ‘Behind The Lens’.

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND has published draft Prayers of Love and Faith ‘asking for God’s blessing on same-sex couples as they give thanks for their civil marriage or civil partnership’. Gareth Rayner-Williams compares them with Church In Wales liturgy & asks what do they mean by ‘blessing’?

THIS SONG was recorded recently by PhD researcher Peter Jones, whose research features stories of Open Table members. Peter is a queer, trans person within the discernment process for ministry in the Church of England.

ON SUNDAY 15th January, the Archdeacon of Liverpool, Ven Mike McGurk, came to Open Table Liverpool. Mike reflected on the account in the Gospel [John 1:29-42] of Jesus being baptised by John, and his response to John’s followers to came to follow him.

THIS YEAR, for the first time, the annual Big Queer Carols event hosted by OneBodyOneFaith in London went on tour across England and Wales, to three more churches, in Cardiff, Salford and Sheffield. OTN trustee Augustine Tanner-Ihm offered this reflection on the Christmas story.

THIS WEEK our first Open Table community in Liverpool once again hosted the carol service for the parish where they meet. This year, LGBTQIA+ ministry facilitator Warren Hartley offered this reflection.