Queer carol service sends important message to LGBTQ+ folk at Christmas: ‘You’re loved for who you are’
OTN trustee Augustine Tanner-Ihm with Coordinator Kieran Bohan at the Big Queer Carols event at Sacred Trinity Salford on Sunday 18th December 2022.
THIS CHRISTMAS, for the first time, the Open Table Network worked in partnership with other LGBT+-inclusive organisations and churches to bring Big Queer Carols to four cities across England and Wales.
Big Queer Carols is an open, affirming and joyful carol service where EVERYONE is welcome, hosted by churches committed to fairness, equity, and affirmation.
Big Queer Carols began at Bloomsbury Baptist Church, London in 2017 and merged with the long tradition of Christmas services hosted by the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement, which became OneBodyOneFaith that same year.
Partners this year included: Affirm: Baptists Together For LGBT+ Inclusion, OneBodyOneFaith, the Open Table Network and The Gathering Cardiff.
Services were hosted at: Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, London; Church of St Mark, Sheffield; Sacred Trinity Church, Salford (home of Open Table Salford); and City United Reformed Church, Cardiff.
In an interview with Pink News published today, Executive Director of OneBodyOneFaith, Luke Dowding explained:
“It’s actually a really joyful occasion. There is space for reflection. It can be a difficult time for people, they’ve had experiences that have been tough for them or they’ve lost people, but generally, it’s a place where people can come and just sing their hearts out, whether they’re any good or not. There’s a real atmosphere of joy and of laughter.”
OneBodyOneFaith has also made materials available online to local churches who want to host their own service but can’t do it because of resources or time.