Oh Lord, Kum by yah

I’ve spoken before about my frustration over a day which is planned this coming Saturday in Stirling for the Scottish Episcopal Church to do some listening in the arena of human sexuality. I got rather bad tempered about it at one stage – more so than felt good.

I hope that one of the things that has been learned from the business of promoting this day is that you cannot focus a day around the experience of certain people without approaching them and involving them right from the word go in the process. To exclude people from planning a process which is essentially about their own sense of inclusion or exclusion is asking for trouble.

Anyway, over the course of time, the agenda for this particular day has changed very significantly. I’m glad that it has and am looking forward to being present on the day and taking part. It has not felt a comfortable journey to reach this point, but I’m glad to have reached it and glad that I feel that I can join in.

Someone’s listening Lord. Kum by yah.

Comments

  1. I think the fact you feel glad that you are taking part shows a start to a good day hopefully.
    I really hope with Lambeth on a few months away and talk of sexuality in everyones minds that the listening day is productive!

  2. vicky says

    Like Kelvin I was not going to attend this day but am doing so now because of a change in how the day has been designed.

    However, I am under no illusions. We may all listen and we may all feel closer by the end of the day. We may also end up watching a dismaying Lambeth conference in which the status quo or even a more conservative line is opted for.

    One thing that needs to be heard is that, as things stand, being gay in the Church is a vulnerable position and one in which we are ‘allowed’ to be part of the Church because of the nice liberal contingent. Until we move away from a debate about whether or not it’s time to fully ‘integrate’ the LGBT members into the Church, LGBTers will always be outsiders invited into the Church to share at God’s table.
    I, for one, look forward to a day when I don’t need to share my experience of being gay in the Church because it really isn’t of any importance. The trouble is to get to that point we still need to move an awful lot further than we have.

    The question that I am left with now is, does a Christian denomination have to have membership rules or is testimony enough?

  3. Vicky, you’ve articulated very clearly what I’ve been thinking. I hope I can help to make this realisation grow, somehow. There’s still a long way to go, sadly.

  4. Lark Rise says

    Whose ‘Church’ – in the widest sense – is it ?

    Christ Himself seems to have imposed little in the way of ‘membership rules’, inclusivity being for all. Tho many turned away and excluded themselves when face to face with Him and the challenge of Who He Was…

    That the ‘established’ church is being so small-minded and bigotted to so many loving, caring, beautiful Christ-ones begs that first question – ‘Whose church ?’

    Sheep and goats come to mind…….. and does a goat recognise that it is a goat……?

    (Despite current scientific understanding, the miracle of genetic change of ‘goat’ to ‘sheep’ is possible thru the intervention of the Almighty – S Paul found out about that – so hang in there sheeps – there’s some of us out here outside of your technically LGBTs fold who are rootin’ for yeez……)

  5. Amen to that, Lark Rise!

  6. Do you have a copy of what the agenda now is?

  7. The agenda is available to download here

Speak Your Mind

*