We are part of the Inclusive Church network and last week our PCC agreed to send a letter expressing our views on the report, to our General Synod representatives.
Here is the letter we sent:
This is the full text of the letter:
The Right Reverend David Walker
Bishops Court
Bury New Road
Salford
M7 4LE
My Lord,
We are writing to you and our other General Synod
representatives on behalf of the PCC of St John the Baptist Church, Hey in the
Rochdale Archdeaconry in response to the publication of the report to the House
of Bishops on same sex marriage.
The publication, with its attendant media coverage, set out
very clearly to the world the position
in respect of our church's attitude and treatment of LGBTi Christians and also to those seeking faith who may consider
joining with us in the Anglican church.
It is our belief and view that the report has already done
great harm to the Anglican church, and we as a PCC have already felt the hurt
with our brothers and sisters in our own congregation that the results of this
report have caused.
To support the preparation of the report many gay and
lesbian Christians entered into a dialogue with their church in good faith,
openly and honestly believing that doing so was right for the church. They
expressed deeply held feelings of a personal nature and opened themselves in
love and faith for, they believed, the benefit of our church.
As an appendix to this letter we enclose some personal
accounts of our own PCC members' reaction to both this report and to the search
for acceptance in the Anglican church, they are not attributed to individuals,
however our friends would gladly have further conversation with you or your
representatives if it would help.
We find it inconceivable that the resulting report has
arrived at the conclusion it has after such an exercise of consultation. If
anything the report suggests a hardening of heart, rather than an opening of
attitudes in love.
We, at St John the Baptist Church, are part of the Inclusive
Church network, we display a poster to the community in which we are a
Christian presence that states boldly 'All Are Welcome Here'. The continued
attitude of our church however causes us to feel that our poster is not
entirely honest.
People in our community may be welcome to step across the
threshold, indeed they will receive a warm welcome in Christ's name; however we
cannot in honesty say that all people are welcome to share in all of the
sacraments of the church.
People we worship alongside and share ministry with should
be treated in the same way as each other. Discrimination carried out in this
way is most certainly not the work of God, it is purely the work of people: the
people we respect and expect to lead us in faith.
We urge you and our other diocesan members of General Synod
to refuse to 'note' the content of the report and actively pursue a better way
for us to live and work to Christ's glory together in love and fairness.
Yours in love,
On behalf of the PCC
of St John the Baptist Church, Hey.
CC: The Very Reverend Rogers Govender
CC: The Very Reverend Mark Davies
CC: The Venerable Cherry Vann
CC: The Reverend Graham Hollowood
CC: Mrs Margaret Parrett
Appendix: Personal
Statements
'I'm more than disappointed
to be honest. I thought as a church we were moving forward but clearly that is
not the case. Christ brings freedom and yet the church brings oppression. How
is this love?.. I know God is calling me to ministry but realistically can I live
a life of oppression and also inflict that oppression on [my wife]. This only
drives the wedge in harder and separates gay people from other Christians and
also from God. It saddens me deeply'.
'As a
church are we really going to continue to uphold these viewpoints and continue
to psychologically damage gay people into believing they are immoral if they
love another and wish to be joined together and be accepted, forcing some gay
people to live in secret to feel degraded, ashamed of their love.'
' I now
feel that my own views and beliefs have been disregarded and I am now being
asked to live my life via an interpretation of scripture that I fundamentally
disagree with. If a parent was to judge another parent and dictate that they
change their way of how they raise their child because their principles were
inherently different this would be seen as inappropriate and frankly rude.
Everyone should be able to choose their own path otherwise our journey becomes
a dictatorship this choice has now been taken away from me as one
interpretation of scripture has been given credibility over others. Homosexuals
should be allowed to marry who they love and a Canon law should not dictate
otherwise. To suggest that our homosexual clergy can only live with another
same sex partner via a civil partnership and must refrain from sexual relations
is appalling treatment.'
'I love
my church and the people who make it as special as it is. I am not hurt by St
John's I know the Church as a whole will eventually move on but things take
time. I'm hoping it will be like the decision for women Bishops and we will get
there one day'
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