‘Imagine it’s June 2024’ - You said, we did…
The cover of the report Open Table Network: Research and Case for Support 2021 by Simon Pickering and Civil Society Consulting CIC.
IN JUNE 2021 we published research into the experience of Open Table community members and volunteers. One previously unpublished question we asked was:
Imagine it’s Saturday 15th June 2024: We’re celebrating 16 years of the first Open Table community and 9 years as a network. We've achieved three years’ funding. What does OTN look like?
Here are some of our members’ and volunteers’ responses, and what we have achieved three years’ on:
One person imagined:
34-35 communities, coming together once or twice a year.
OTN communities map of England and Wales June 2024 with an Open Table logo marking the locations of our communities.
This month, we supported our 38th community to launch. In 2022 and 2023 we came together for an annual national gathering. Following feedback from last year’s national gathering, we are now preparing regional gatherings, online and in-person, to promote greater partnership and peer support between communities.
Another predicted:
Enough Open Table services happening in different parts of the country so that they are accessible to far more people.
In June 2021 we were supporting 18 communties across England and Wales. Since then we have added 20 communties, more than doubling the size and reach of the network. Our aim in 2021 was to gain three years of grant funding. In March 2023 we received a grant of £50,000 spread over three years from the United Reformed Church [URC] Legacy Fund. One of the aims of the grant is to for OTN to enable a URC-hosted Open Table community in each of its 13 Synods in Britain. We have already acheived this in eight URC synods, We hope to create at least five more in the next two years, particularly in areas such as Scotland where there are currently no Open Table communities.
A third person dreamed that:
We've got that much of a community… we could fund ourselves.
We are not there yet!
OTN’s phenomenal growth since 2015, and especially since 2021, is not yet matched by enough resources to sustain it long term. We are working hard to grow contributions from individuals, the communities we support, and a more diverse range of funders. While the URC has invested in our support for communities in their churches, this is not yet matched by investment from other national churches, and other Christian or secular funders.
“As Open Table grows, so will the joy of its members. I believe that with the love that is shared, we will light up the world. ”
One playful person pictured this scenario in their Church of England hosted community:
It’s been agreed that the Bishop and his husband are going to visit! (or the Archbishop and her wife?)
While bishops and archbishops in same-sex marriages within the Church of England are still some way off, we are delighted that something similar has already happened in the Church In Wales, thanks to OTN Patron Right Revd Cherry Vann, who has celebrated communion at several Open Table gatherings and attended with her civil partner. Next month, in the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln, we are hosting a consultation to explore the need for an Open Table community there, with the support of the Right Revd Dr Nicholas Chamberlain, Bishop of Grantham, who is also in a civil partnership.
I see Open Table linking in with like-minded organisations and I see it as being in the forefront of exampling and sharing good Christian practice.
Another imagined an even greater reach for the network:
I see a network of Open Tables across all borders... nationally and internationally, offering a space for ALL Christians to feel safe and welcome.
OTN became a charity registered in England and Wales in 2021, and our focus remains there. Although we are not an international charity, we saw a substantial growth in enquiries from beyond England and Wales in 2022, which was sustained in 2023. More than a third came from Uganda, where LGBT+ people are criminalised, and may face the death penalty. OTN’s Secretary to the trustee board, Neil Rees, who is experienced in international development, has responded to this rising trend by offering online support and signposting to local allies. At our national gathering in 2023, Neil shared a moving reflection on how we can show solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ siblings worldwide.
The same person also recognised the value of partnership:
I see Open Table linking in with like-minded organisations and I see it as being in the forefront of exampling and sharing good Christian practice.
We have made significant progress with this since 2021, when we commited to working together with Inclusive Church, Modern Church, OneBodyOneFaith, Progressive Christianity Network, and Student Christian Movement. The latest expression of this is a day retreat next month with discounted rates for supporters of OTN and our partners. See our full list of partners here.
One optimist had the vision that:
The Open Table Network doesn’t exist at all because the whole of the church is inclusive and welcoming of all.
We share the vision that, one day, Open Table communities will not need to exist. This is reflected in our Open Table prayer - we do not pray for more Open Table communities. We pray for God’s kingdom to be fulfilled among us, so that we no longer need to create safer spaces in our churches, as every church would be safe enough. We invite you to use this prayer card to join us in praying for God’s will in our communities.
We’ll leave the last word to this eloquent expression of what Open Table can be, with God’s help and yours:
As Open Table grows, so will the joy of its members. I believe that with the love that is shared, we will light up the world. No longer will we be oppressed by those who in their hearts must surely know God's love has no limits. And maybe, just maybe, they will put down their stones.
