The two sessions are live on zoom: Session One is on Friday 20th November at 7pm, and Session Two is on Friday 11th December at 7pm. Each session lasts approximately 90 minutes with a short break half way through.
Part of the beauty of Embrace is meeting real people and hearing their experience. Embrace is about listening to the voices and stories that have long been silenced in the church. Embrace is about coming with an open heart to learn how others have experienced church and Christian communities. Embrace is a space for listening, reflecting and asking questions.
Embrace is a safe space to explore…
- how we can give God’s welcome to people of all sexualities and genders
- how we can be who God made us to be
- how you can help your church safely move forward
- how we can welcome those who have been rejected and hurt by Christ’s body
- what guidance the Bible gives about this
- what do all those letters mean? (LGBTQIA+)
The sessions include…
- listening to stories from the less often heard voices of LGBTQ+ Christians
- hearing reflections and content from the perspectives of faith and science
- engaging in safe discussion
- joining in with a Q&A panel
- being inspired by a spoken word performance
- asking the questions you just can’t elsewhere
- learning ways to practice good pastoral care for our LGBTQIAP+ siblings
- and if you feel isolated, Embrace is a safe place for you to connect
Contributors…
- Rev Patch Davies – Minister of 57 West Church, and Co-founder of Wild & Holy
- Grace Claydon – Co-founder of Wild & Holy, a coordinator of Southend Pride’s faith events, CFS
- Rev Peter Dominey – Minister of Church from Scratch
- Rev Dan Gates – Minister of Clarence Road Baptist Church
- Jazz Zekai – Secondary school teacher and founding member of Wild & Holy
- Dr Tim Wright – Local Christian GP
- Rev John Goddard – Minister of Saffron Walden Baptist Church
- Nick Gilbert – Partner of Church from Scratch and founding member of Wild & Holy
When we held the first Embrace event in 2019 people said…
“It was wonderful. Well done for putting it together and making it happen.”
“A good balance of information, testimony and discussion. Thank you for making me think and challenging me.”
“I loved the pastoral care section… a perfect evening.”
Ethos and rules of participation…
- We are committed to maintaining Embrace as a safe space for all people, particularly the LGBTQIAP+ people who will be among us. You are welcome at Embrace as someone who respects the ethos of listening and participating sensitively. Embrace is not a space for debating the existence of LGBTQIAP+ people. Homophobia, transphobia and queerphobia will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to remove people from the call who struggle to respect the ethos of Embrace.
- You must be able to attend both Session One and Session Two of Embrace.
- This course is only open to those living in the UK, to ensure we are relevant to each other’s contexts.
- Maximum of 2 participants per screen with both having paid.
Info…
Once you have booked, expect to receive the zoom link a week before the first session.
Tickets are £20 per person, or £5 for those on a low-income.
To get in touch: Try the chatbot on this website to see if we are around or email: embrace@churchfromscratch.org
Embrace is organised by…
Church from Scratch, 57 West and Wild & Holy. We are a collaboration of LGBTQIAP+ people and allies, who have a shared vision of making churches safer and affirming for people of all sexualities and genders. In 2018 Church from Scratch became the first affirming Baptist church in the region followed by 57 West. Wild & Holy is a church for LGBTQIAP+ Christians in Southend.
Other LGBT resources from Church from scratch are below: