The Worcester Group holds meetings which are publicised and open, roughly every other month. In April a retiring member of General Synod briefed us about the debate at the February session on the Windsor Report. Peter Middlemiss has followed the unfolding saga of fraught Anglican attempts to handle the issue of homosexuality and spoke with candour and wit. In July departing co-convenor, Janice Price, led a discussion on the implications of the Civil Partnerships Act and whether civil partnerships are in effect marriages by another name. As our secretary too is leaving the diocese we were feeling doubly bereft, but know that we are exporting supportive members to other groups.

A core group of members, as a steering committee, meets between the open meetings and is currently grappling with how to relate to diocesan evangelical groupings in such a way that the debate about the place of LGBT people in the church can move forward constructively. We have been made aware that our opposite numbers would find it hard to share a public platform in case that endorsed an assumption that we were presenting options of equivalent validity - a bit of a downer, but at least we know where we (don't) stand, and maybe some awareness raising conversation will be possible between our respective inner circles. Meanwhile we continue to rejoice in the affirmation of our bishops and are glad that our convenor managed to get a letter published by Church Times.