Category Archives: LGBTI+

LGBTI+, Services

Rainbow ‘Campfire Service’

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You are invited to a ‘campfire service’ for LGBTQI+ people, friends, colleagues and supporters, at St Mary’s Church, Quarry Street, Guildford, on Wednesday, March 15, from 7.30pm. Hot chocolate and flapjacks will be offered on arrival.

The theme of a “campfire service” arose from considering how much strength we can receive when we gather together around the warmth of a fire. God is with us, in darkness and in light, when troubled and when at peace. When two or three – or more – gather together, the presence of Jesus, and the warmth of fellowship, is with us.

There will be songs and testimony, prayers and words of hope. As we draw together, we find courage not to be scared of the night. We are able to see more in the darkness because of each other’s light.

To find out more and to sign up for updates, contact Jonathan Hedgecock

Events, Farnham Literary Festival, Inclusion, LGBTI+, magazine, Prayer, Services

Your February magazine is here

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It’s February, the month of Valentine’s love, pancakes and the first signs of Spring. It’s also a month when lots starts happening in the parish – well, does it ever stop? But here we are coming into Lent, with Lent courses which this year focus on the TV series The Chosen, a Questioning Faith course which will lead to confirmation in the Cathedral on Easter Eve, Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, with services of ashing, and our Pancakes and Temptations service. Then there is a barn dance on February 25th, and an invitation to enter the Farnham Poetry Competition – this year the theme is hope.

Take a look inside the magazine for more details where you will also find a response to the bishops’ proposals on equal marriage, the Church Cat, prayer, thoughts on faith, events and reports from local groups.

You can find it here:

February 2023Download

Happy reading!

Apple Day, Craft, Events, LGBTI+, magazine, Services

Your September magazine is out

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Here is your September magazine, chock full of news and events for the next month, including a welcome to David and Nabila Camp, who have come to the parish while David is training for ordained ministry. There is news about harvest events – our free Harvest Lunch at the next Craft Market on September 17th, Harvest festival services and Apple Day on 18th, and Harvest Supper on October 1st with entertainment and an auction of some beautiful Nativity sets.

We look wider than the parish too with details of a Rainbow Service in Guildford on September 14th and questions about the new Farnham Infrastructure Programme. Please read and complete the consultation.

And don’t forget the Autumn Fayre on September 3rd!

Happy reading.

September 2022Download
Inclusion, LGBTI+, Services

Pride services across the parish

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On Sunday, August 21, we are celebrating Pride at all of our three churches and online, here on the website.

Our services are just six days before Pride in Surrey which takes place in Camberley on August 27. Both Pride in Surrey and our Pride services are an opportunity to celebrate LGBTQI+ people in their fullness, to look back on strides toward equality, and to imagine a world where celebration and full inclusion is the norm, not an exception. 

Rev’d Stella Wiseman, a minister in the parish and Inclusive Church Ambassador for Surrey, explains some of the thinking behind this: “The Christian response to LGBTQI+ people has not generally been one of welcome – far from it sadly – and unsurprisingly the Church as a whole has not felt like a safe space for many people. In fact, Christians have used the Bible as a weapon and the church has contributed to the political, relational and spiritual dehumanizing of LGBTQI+ people.

“Our support for Pride is not just a way of saying sorry for the Church’s harmful actions – some of which have led to the death of some of God’s beloved children – but also an opportunity to denounce oppressive practices and ideology while also becoming more fully human ourselves. For when we dehumanise others we reduce our own humanity.

“In these services we repent of the past and we look with hope to the future. We stand with people who identify as LGBTQI+ and proclaim loudly that all people are loved by God and all people are welcome here. God is Love and we are all fearfully and wonderfully made.”

There will be special prayers and readings and invited speakers at all the services. Among those we will be welcoming are Merinda D’Aprano, published author, poet, spiritual director, preacher and retired headteacher; Ash Brockwell, an artist, poet, writer and lecturer; singer and artist Heather Golding; and Suzanne and Declan DeWitt Hall from Where True Love Is, who will take part in our online service

Please join us on Sunday, August 21. There is a service at St John’s Church, Lower Hale, at 9.30am, one at St George’s, Badshot Lea, at 10am, and one at St Mark’s, Upper Hale, at 11am. And, of course, we are online too: https://badshotleaandhale.org/online-services/

Members of the parish will also be at Pride in Surrey, both in the Pride parade and at the Christians at Pride stall.

Art, Children and Youth, Craft, Events, Harvest, LGBTI+, magazine, Social Events, St John's Church

The September Magazine is Out

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Our September magazine has just been published full of plenty to read and discover for this coming month.

We kick off with the Autumn Fayre (on Saturday, September 4, at St John’s Church, 12-4pm) then take a look at our new monthly craft market, get ready for Harvest, meet our new Youth Minister, have a think about Living in Love and Faith, and look forward to the Confirmation service on September 19. There’s a message from Anne Young in Cornwall, a huge thank-you to Wendy Edwards who is retiring, some thoughts on the changes ahead from the Church Cat and lots more, including local businesses who advertise and support us in our work.

To read all about it, download your copy below, or if you would prefer a printed version email the editor, Stella Wiseman.

September 21Download
Inclusion, LGBTI+, Services, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Pride services at all our Churches

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This Sunday (August 8) we are celebrating Pride at all of our three churches and online, here on the website.

Like Pride Month, which takes place in June, it is an opportunity to celebrate LGBTQI+ people in their fullness, to look back on strides toward equality, and to imagine a world where celebration and full inclusion is the norm, not an exception. 

Lesley Crawley explains some of the thinking behind this: “Christians have historically punished and ostracized LGBTQI+ people, scripture has been weaponized and the church has contributed to the political, relational and spiritual dehumanizing of LGBTQI+ people. This has resulted in deep pain, bullying and death and rightfully many people have been put off the church forever because of the cruel behaviour of Christians. 

“As Christians, we give up a piece of our full humanity when we forgo compassion and treat people as objects worthy of scorn or violence. Pride gives us an opportunity to end oppressive practices and ideology while also becoming more fully human ourselves. 

“In these services we repent of the past and we look with optimism to the future. We stand with people who identify as LGBTQI+ and proclaim loudly that all people are loved by God and all people are welcome here.

“We thank God for the immense diversity of human beings and the love God has for us all. We recognise the way stereotypes have limited us all in terms of being able to be truly ourselves. We celebrate love in all its forms and we thank the God of Love that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Please join us this Sunday. There is a service at St John’s Church, Lower Hale, at 9.30am, one at St George’s, Badshot Lea, at 10am, and one at St Mark’s, Upper Hale, at 11am. And, of course, we are online too: https://badshotleaandhale.org/online-services/

* LGBTQI+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex and the ‘+’ is for others who don’t fit one of these labels

Christmas, Coronavirus, Inclusion, LGBTI+, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Christmas services

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Join us in person and online this Christmas. We have services for all ages where you will be welcome.

We have done everything we can to ensure that you will feel safe from Covid in our churches. Please wear a mask if you are able – we appreciate that not everyone can – follow the directions in the church and stay within your own ‘bubble’.

If you are not able or comfortable about coming to church, please join us online here. We will also be streaming Midnight Mass for you.

Everyone is welcome in our churches. As members of Inclusive Church we want to reiterate that, whatever your background, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity or economic status, you are welcome. If you are neurodiverse, you are welcome; if you have mental health challenges, or a learning or physical disability, you are welcome. Whoever and however you are, you are welcome. Please ask if you need any assistance.

Inclusion, LGBTI+

Variety in the Church of England

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I recently saw this article in The Guardian. It highlighted for me one of the good, and at the same time bad, things about the Church of England.

The CofE is what is described as a broad church. Many Churches have a Statement of Belief, and if you want to belong to their Church you have to sign to say that you agree with everything in it. The Church of England does not. Instead if you can say the liturgy with integrity you are in. Queen Elizabeth I arranged this on purpose at a time when Christians were killing each other over differences of interpretation. She said:

I would not open windows into men’s souls.

This leaves the Church of England with a wide spread of beliefs/interpretations which are legitimately held by members. I like this, it means that we know that we are not expected to know the mind of God – that as Oliver Cromwell said:

I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken.

However, some strands of the Church of England are more comfortable with this than others. It is in some ways as though the Church is a collection of several different churches.

This is a long-winded way of saying that within the Church of England you will be able to find churches as described in the article, and at the same time you will be able to find those, like ours, which are members of Inclusive Church, and which try to welcome everybody.

There are of course other churches which welcome LGBTQI+ people more than the CofE is able to do while we struggle to work out how to do this in a way that satisfies everybody within the church.

The linked article by a vicar gives a flavour of the difficulties faced finding one which welcomes everyone.

Don’t give up on God yet!

Image by Belinda Fewings, Unsplash

Inclusion, LGBTI+

Living in Love and Faith – an initial response

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Last month, the Church of England published Living in Love and Faith. This is a collection of resources – a book, study guide, podcasts, videos, links to online material – designed to help people to discuss and listen to God about matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.

There are a lot of resources and we have yet to work out what we will do with them in the parish. Alan and I will be talking about them shortly, when we have digested them properly, but, as members of Inclusive Church, we welcome any discussion of these important issues insofar as they enable us to understand more about each other and accept each other.

Moreover, here in the parish, we remain absolutely committed to the inclusion of all. Whether you are lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual, questioning, asexual, you are welcome. Whether you are transgender, cisgender or nonbinary, you are welcome. Whether you were born with intersex traits or not, you are welcome. God welcomes us and that isn’t going to change.

I’d also like to thank those who have taken part in this process as they have made themselves vulnerable in sharing their stories. Such vulnerability is costly and the cost has already been too high for some of the participants.

So please, whatever we do, let’s go forward with grace and love.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. news@badshotleaandhale.org


Stella Wiseman,
Inclusive Church Ambassador, Surrey

Inclusion, LGBTI+, remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance

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Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day when we remember those transgender or gender diverse people who have died because of who they are, whether through violence, suicide or medical inequality

It is estimated that at least 409 people across the world are known to have died because they were transgender or gender diverse. The youngest was just 15, the oldest 79. That is just those who are known. Countless others have been on the receiving end of violence and abuse, have been made to feel worthless and afraid.

The church is not blameless; the church has added to the transphobia which causes this violence and abuse, these murders, these suicides, these medical inequalities. I am not saying that this parish has done so, I am not accusing any one individual church, and there are hugely welcoming and affirming churches across the world. But the church as a whole has not been like this, the church continues to discriminate and preach against those who do not fit gender ‘norms’.

There are two videos here. The first is a video here is a quiet and sad reflection about these terrible facts and a call for us to see where we can bring about a change.

The second is a deeply moving and sombre service, produced by Open Table Network

For a list of those lost this year, together with some of their stories, visit https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/re… To respond to the latest consultation about the rights of trans and non-binary people in the UK, visit https://committees.parliament.uk/work…  

Here in the Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale we stand with our transgender and gender non-conforming siblings, all of us beloved by God. And we are sorry for when we have failed you.

Picture by Ted Eytan.