Thursday, 6 October, 7.30pm in St Anne's Rectory

Wednesday, 11 January, 7.30pm in St Anne's Rectory

Thursday, 6 April, 7.30pm in St Anne's Rectory  

By the time we meet in October the GS elections will be over and at our last meeting in April we thought we should be working by then on what we might undertake in our diocese to press for pastoral care policies for LGBTs. This would tie in with more engagement with deaneries, diocesan committees, bishops et al. - it would be good to share our experiences of such encounters! There is also the current push for more 'safe spaces' and more 'listening'. Can we make a contribution here? Please come with your ideas.

Reactions to York General Synod and to Nottingham ACC 

York - Generally much encouraged by the emphatic vote to clear the legal way for women to become bishops - roughly 2/3 majorities in all three Houses. Mike had attended and reported very sympathetic reactions and conversations, reflecting liberal views on LGBTs amongst many evangelicals. Stephen Coles sent a message to us emphasising the crucial importance of a good inclusive lay presence in the next GS, and the priority to replace some of the present diehard conservative members for London.

- Civil Partnerships: The bishops were not revealing what their Pastoral Regulations would say especially on the vexed clergy question. We thought that if they go in for snooping in the bedroom, they and the church are likely to be ridiculed at large. - Although the Bp of London did not attend GS, his reply to Stephen's question on diocesan support for pastoring and listening on LGBT issues left the way open to meet with him. Stephen will pursue this.

Nottingham - Those of us who look into the CA Yahoo chat group were a bit bemused by the gap between the hopeful interpretation of events there offered by Colin Coward who attended and the negative predictions of schism etc from other contributors; Inclusive Church had also posted an email news item focusing on the continued exclusion of the N. American provinces as a grave threat to Anglicanism's historic practice of inclusion. Our inclination is towards a hopeful, but not naive, determination to stay with the CoE, contributing where we can and watching the signs.

Andrew gave an update which has been further developed in the Wake-Up call sent to LCA members on 24th July. In London we have also circulated this 'call' to sympathetic incumbents to whom we sent an IC flyer in April. The IC task group will do our best to offer candidates, especially first-timers, useful support, so please let us have the contact details, preferably email, of any candidates you may know of.

The feasibility of this proposal is now with the CA staff and Sally Rogers is currently leading on it. It’s likely to be on a Saturday - in London but including regional reps. LCA members may assist its organisation but it is accepted that we do not have the resources to take it on ourselves. We felt that the booking of a venue and invitations to key speakers are now urgent matters if the conference is to be in the spring of 2006. More important than an early date, however, is to get the event well timed for the optimum support during next year.

There was a strong feeling that once the important business of the GS elections is over, it is time for us to move on to involvement of our members in more 'Hands 0n' efforts to promote more visible commitment to pastoral care for LGBTs from our Diocesan establishment. The suggestion of a CA London roadshow to offer to parishes, deaneries etc got enthusiastic support and Andrew will approach Clare Wilson, now in Chelmsford, to see if she would be free to come to our October meeting to share her experience of a similar venture. This would come under the heading of Making Safe Listening Spaces a Reality - an ongoing agenda item for us in the light of the Bishops' pastoral statement on Civil Partnerships.