St Bride's Celebrates LGBT+ History Month

This February, St Bride’s Church in Liverpool is celebrating the contribution of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+) communities past and present to this city as part of marking LGBT+ History Month and you’re invited.

Celebrations kick off with a special communion service on Sunday 16th February at 6.30pm led by the Rector of St Bride’s, Miranda Threlfall-Holmes. Joining her will be Luke Dowding, Executive Director of OneBodyOneFaith, a passionate advocate for social justice in the UK and internationally, and a Deacon and Trustee at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church in London.

Luke is staying on to deliver a lecture as part of St Bride’s extremely popular and long running Public Theology lecture series at 6pm on Monday 17th February entitled ‘Queering the Kingdom: Good News for the Other’. In this intriguingly titled talk, Luke will explore how queer theology can offer a framework that enables radical inclusion for everyone; drawing parallels from the progress made by LGBT+ people for full equality - and the work that is yet to be done

To wrap up the month, on Ash Wednesday, 26th February at 7.30pm, St Bride’s congregation is joining forces with their LGBT+ congregation, Open Table, to host an Ash Wednesday service with a twist. Joining with other churches across the globe, they’ll be hosting a ‘Glitter Ash Wednesday’ service. Yes, you’ll get ashes - with a bit of purple glitter. It may sound frivolous, but it carries a serious message, reminding us to look for the spark of life, of hope, in ourselves and one another.

LGBT+ History Month has taken place in the UK every February since 2004, organised by Schools Out UK, a campaigning group for LGBT+ people in education. It’s a chance to celebrate the lives and achievements of LGBT+ people from our past and present. Each year it takes a theme from the education curriculum - this year's theme is ‘Poetry, Prose & Plays’

Revd Miranda Threlfall-Holmes says: ‘Knowing our history is hugely important in shaping our future. LGBT people have often been whitewashed out of history leading people to the mistaken assumption that inclusion is solely a modern phenomenon, and churches have been particularly guilty of this.’

Luke Dowding says: ‘Marginalisation leads to exclusion, and LGBT+ people have been excluded time and time again by society and particularly faith groups. LGBT+ History Month is a channel to explore our past, reaffirm our place in the present, and stake a claim on our future.’

St Bride’s is home to Open Table Liverpool, a twice-monthly service open to all people, but particularly for the LGBT+ community of Merseyside and those seeking a more inclusive church. The Liverpool community is part of the Open Table Network of communities across England and Wales whose vision is of a world where LGBT+ people are fully included within our church traditions and communities.

Everyone’s invited to join the church’s celebrations and show your support for LGBT+ people and the rich contributions they make to our city.