Since 2018, the Open Table Network has been an active partner in Gathering Voices, a collaboration of Christian organisations that encourage churches to be fully inclusive and affirming of all people without regard of gender and sexuality.
For 2021 Gathering Voices is exploring one of its key values: ‘Offer sanctuary and be a safe space’ by adressing questions around how do we make our local church a safe space and offer sanctuary for everyone to grow and be nurtured.
Gathering Voices online conference this year brings together a range of organizations; Creating Sanctuary, QUEST, Open Table Network, and OneBodyOneFaith to explore creating a safe Christian space for LGBTQIA+ people.
The keynote speakers, Alex Clare-Young (Creating Sanctuary) and Gerard Swan (QUEST), will share their insights and personal reflections on creating sanctuary and safeguarding in Christian settings.
Our churches have not always been safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ people and there will opportunities to share insights and experiences in the workshops, to begin to explore current challenges and ways to move towards creating safe spaces.
We will follow a similar format to last year’s conference, with a mixture of pre-recorded talks, and live interactive sessions.
Resources:
There are online resources that will help our discussion on issues related to creating sanctuary and safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ people in the church. To get you started :
Creating Sanctuary has resources and training materials including the keynote talks from their 2020 conference with Oasis.
Open Table Network also has resources, personal stories, and blog entries, for example: A safe space in a dangerous time.
We also acknowledge the financial contribution of Accepting Evangelicals in enabling this year’s conference.
REGISTER NOW for the conference on Saturday 23rd October 2-5. Registratioj closes on Thursday 21st November.
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