International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia is marked every year on May 17.

IDAHOBIT fosters a global moment for collective action, awareness, solidarity, and visibility, bringing together individuals, organisations, and governments under a shared global theme to highlight issues faced by LGBTQIA+ people around the world. This year's theme is 'the power of communities'.

To mark this day we’re sharing below a prayer written by our LGBTQIA+ Ministry Facilitator, Warren Hartley. We’re also re-sharing a Sermon from Open Table Liverpool for IDAHOTB in 2019, and this blog from Kieran Bohan, Director of Open Table Network.

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On 15th December 220 people gathered to celebrate Christmas at our annual Queer Carol Service. Sue Say is one of our Assistant Church Wardens for the parish of St Luke in the City, based here at St Brides and an active member of Open Table Liverpool. Sue shared a reflection on the passage John 1:1-5.

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With thanks to our dear friend, The Revd Anne Lawlor, for writing this reflection on our Retreat Day in October this year exploring the ancient practice of Contemplative Prayer.

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Enjoy the reflection by our Churchwarden, Sue Say, on that famous reading from John 1 - “and the word became flesh and dwealt among us”

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AT THE CLOSE of Pride in Liverpool on Sunday 30th July 2023, Liverpool Cathedral and Open Table collaborated to host a reflective service that brought us together and celebrated the vulnerability and visibility of Pride.

The theme of the service took inspiration from the statue of the Welcoming Christ by Elizabeth Frink which stands over the entrance to the Cathedral, greeting visitors to the Cathedral with open hands. We came with open hands to celebrate that God loves us all equally.

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A poem by the Revd Cate Jacobs following the recent publication of draft Prayers of Love and Faith by the Church of England.

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For their Baptism on 19th February, Lou from Open Table wrote this beautiful poem which they recited during the service.

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GENERAL SYNOD, the Church of England’s governing body, debated the College of Bishops’ proposals for the next steps in the Living In Love And Faith process on identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage on 8th and 9th February 2023.

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, Team Rector of our parish, examined the assertion that the Church of England’s teaching on marriage has not change, and should not change

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Reflection by Warren Hartley, LGBTQIA+ Ministry Facilitator as part of our series on the Psalms

Readings:

1. Psalm 62

2. Matthew 6:1-8

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On July 17th 2022 at our Open Table Service which celebrated Non-Binary Awareness week, the Revd Frances Skinner shared this powerful sermon on the radical hospitality Jesus practiced which we are called to emulate.

Reading Luke 10:31-end

[Image Credit: JESUS MAFA. Martha and Mary, public domain via from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.]

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On January 16th at our Open Table Service, the Revd Richard Skinner shared this powerful monologue retelling the story of Jesus from John 2:1-12 of turning water into wine as sign that he rejects no-one and that it is to outsiders he reveals his great works.

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LAST MONTH, hundreds of clergy signed an open letter to Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss, in response to the Government’s current consultation on proposals to ban conversion therapy, which has been extended until 4th February 2022. Warren Hartley from Open Table Liverpool responds.

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Our Open Table LGBTQIA+ community at has hosted the carol service for our parish for 13 years. This year, Beth Powell, one of the leadership team, shared this reflection on what we as LGBTQIA+ Christians can learn from the Christmas story.

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by the Revd Laura Ferguson on Sunday 15th August 2021

Reading Luke 1:46-55

I’m from a fairly low church tradition and until about 10 years ago couldn’t have told you what the Magnificat was or meant.

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My Story - A reflection at Open Table #lgbtqia+ #comeasyouare
by Paul Newbery of the Open Table Liverpool community
Reading: Matthew 14: 22-33

Journeys are always a difficult thing. Where do we start from and certainly where are we going to end up. The secular world consider death to be the end of the journey. Birth the start, some fun in the middle and then an end. As Christians our birth is certainly the start. Death though isn’t the end, just a waypoint on our travel to Gods house, or Heaven.

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My Story - A reflection at Open Table #lgbtqia+ #comeasyouare
by an anonymous member of the Open Table Liverpool community on Sunday 6th June 2021

I heard the Parable of the Sower multiple times as a child, and never really understood it. When I was writing my story the share with Open Table, I started to see parts of the parable played out in my life and my journey with my faith.

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by the Revd Dr Louis Johnson on Sunday 20th June 2021 for Open Table Liverpool’s 13th Anniversary

Reading: Mark 4.35-41

Good evening. It’s a real pleasure and a privilege to be with you all to share in this act of worship, and to be celebrating Holy Communion with the Open Table community for the first time. Our reading from Mark’s gospel presents us with one of the iconic images of Jesus in scripture, stilling the storm whilst all around him the disciples are losing their heads in panic

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