LINKS

This page contains useful links under the following sections:

• UK Websites

• North American Websites

• International Websites

• UK Retreat Centres

UK Websites

Accepting Evangelicals

A new open network of Evangelical Christians who believe the time has come to move towards the acceptance of faithful, loving same-sex partnerships at every level of church life

Affirmation Scotland

Affirmation Scotland

Email: convener@affirmationscotland.org.uk

Affirming Catholicism

Affirming Catholicism: to promote theological thinking about the contemporary implications of Catholic faith and order and to further Catholic spirituality, liturgy, lay and women’s ministry, and social concerns within the Anglican (UK) Church

Centre for the Study of Christianity and Sexuality (CSCS)

CSCS promotes dialogue within the Churches, both through academic activity (as evidenced by the international journal Theology and Sexuality) and by more informal means – its newsletters, seminars and workshops.

Changing Attitude Ireland

Email: info@changingattitudeireland.org

Address: 1st Floor, Old War Memorial Building, 9-13 Waring Street, Belfast BT1 2DX

Changing Attitude Ireland is a network of persons, gay and heterosexual, lay and ordained, working for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons within our churches

ChurchNet UK

The UK’s premier provider of internet services to the Christian community, together with the UK’s most comprehensive listings

Continuing Indaba

• Intensifying relationships across the Communion
• Energising local and global mission
• Enabling genuine conversation across difference

Each Continuing Indaba conversation will involve three dioceses from different Provinces in the Anglican Communion. Convened by bishops, conversations will be between men and women – both lay and ordained – who are involved in local mission. Opportunity will be given to encounter each other’s Mission contexts. Through facilitated conversations they will encourage and challenge one another in order to further mission in each place. This process is still being designed and will be shaped by the Resource Hubs and the Pilot Conversations. Resources will be available to assist any diocese to participate.

Courage (UK)

Email: office@courage.co.uk

Address: COURAGE, PO Box 748, GUILDFORD, GU1 2ZY, United Kingdom

Courage is a UK-based, not for profit, evangelical Christian organisation.

Who is it for?

• Gay and lesbian Christians who are seeking a safe place of friendship in which to reconcile their faith and sexuality and grow towards Christian maturity
• Their partners and friends, parents and other family members
• Churches that need a resource to help them understand the issues and needs of gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) people
• Gay people without a faith who are seeking answers to life’s questions.

Our focus is:

• our relationship with God

And our objectives are:

• to work out our Christian discipleship together, in a way that is consistent with the teaching of Scripture, especially for those who are gay or lesbian
• to dialogue with our brothers and sisters in churches who find homosexuality difficult to understand or accept
• and to communicate the Good News to all who do not know Jesus Christ.

Courage Scotland

This is a new group, based in Glasgow, led by the Revd Malcolm MacKenzie.

Don't Throw Stones

The Anglican Communion, through the Bishops at Lambeth in 1998, the Primates at Dromantine in 2004 and various statements by the present Archbishop of Canterbury, has in various ways made it clear that ‘the victimisation or diminishment of human beings whose affections happen to be ordered towards people of the same sex is anathema to us’ (Dromantine Communiqué).

‘Don’t Throw Stones’ is one practical outworking of this Christian commitment.

It brings together Anglicans who - in the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury - disagree with each other on

• ‘whether the Christian Church has the freedom, on the basis of the Bible, and its historic teachings, to bless homosexual partnerships as a clear expression of God's will' and how the church should respond to Christians in such partnerships

agree together that

• ‘any demonising of homosexual persons, or their ill treatment, is totally against Christian charity and basic principles of pastoral care’ (Windsor Report)

Ekklesia

Email: info@ekklesia.co.uk

Address: 2nd Floor 145-157 St John Street London EC1V 4PY

Ekklesia is a not-for-profit thinktank which promotes radical theological ideas in public life through a radical approach.

An initiative of the Anvil Trust, Ekklesia provides a daily news briefing service, regular public comment, conferences, consultancy and workshops in a range of areas combining both practical and theoretical knowledge to encourage the expression of a radical theological perspective. It also produces publications and papers in a range of public policy areas and has a network of associates who speak on social and ethical issues.

As part of its mission, Ekklesia also produces a news syndication service which brings a theological perspective on the daily news agenda. Hundreds of churches now carry Ekklesia's news headlines on their web sites. The news syndicated via the google and yahoo news services.

Ekklesia has no salaried staff. It works on a co-operative basis, and so all money given to Ekklesia is maximised to its fullest potential. It does not seek large funders, but encourages people to become partners in its work. Ekklesia has a developing web presence and is one of the highest ranked religious web sites in the UK.

Ekklesia emerged in 2002 from "Workshop", a radical theological training programme that has been running in the UK for almost 25 years.

Evangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay Christians (EFLGC)

A group of women and men, most of whom are lesbian, gay or bisexual and come from an evangelical Christian background

FFLAG

Email: info@fflag.org.uk

Address: FFLAG PO Box 495 Little Stoke Bristol BS34 9AP

Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is a national voluntary organisation and registered charity.

FFLAG is dedicated to supporting parents and their gay, lesbian and bisexual sons and daughters.

FFLAG offers support to local parents groups and contacts, in their efforts to help parents and families understand accept and support their lesbian gay and bisexual members with love and pride.

FFLAG provides a central point for exchange of information between parents groups and local parent contacts.

FFLAG members are parents of lesbian, gay or bisexual sons and daughters. These young people and their families face serious homophobia in our society, which brings in its wake prejudice, bullying and alienation.

FFLAG supports the full human and civil rights of  lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

Gay Sacred Space

Email: clive@northreddish.org.uk

The Manchester Pride Festival has given the opportunity for a number of LGBT-friendly faith groups from Manchester and Liverpool to work together to stage this Sacred Space event on Canal Street.

We are delighted to be given the chance to showcase an exploration of the spiritual dimension of life. We want this to be an oasis within the clamour and intense pressure of life.

Gay Spirituality

This Gay Spirituality website provides information and resources for gay and queer men exploring their spirituality and sexuality. It has been created to bring together a range of perspectives and resources on gay spirituality for a UK audience. The site offers information about relevant books, organisations, groups, events, places to stay, other websites and helpful articles. The Members form of community of interest around gay spirituality. New content is added regularly.

Gaychurch.org

Gay Church is a web site dedicated to ministering to the gay and lesbian Christian community (GLBT) and friends of our community. We feature one of the largest gay and lesbian affirming Christian church directories and bulletin boards in the world.

InclusiveChurch.net

A declaration of belief in the gospel imperative of an inclusive church

Kairos in Soho

Centre of spiritual well-being for lesbians, gay men and their friends in Soho.

LEFT

A national group for Christian lesbians and bisexual women offering a social space to meet, make friends and discuss our ideas about faith and spirituality.

LEFT Lesbians Exploring Faith Together

Left is a new Christian organisation for lesbians and bisexual women to explore their faith together.

Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM)

LGCM encourages fellowship and support among lesbian and gay Christians and helps the Church examine its understanding of human sexuality through local and denominational groups and conferences

Lesbian and Gay Clergy Consultation

A confidential support organisation for male and female lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender clergy, religious, ordinands, seminarians and their partners

LGBT Anglican Coalition

The Anglican Coalition is here to provide UK based Christian LGBT organisations with opportunities to create resources for the Anglican community and to develop a shared voice for the full acceptance of LGBT people in the Anglican Communion.

Living it Out

Living It Out is a survival guide for lesbian, gay and bisexual Christians and their friends, families and churches, an all-you-need-to-know – written by the experts: LGB Christians, their families, friends and allies. We are living proof that it is possible to be a Christian and engage with LGB issues without falling apart.

MCC Metropoitan Community Churches

Email: info@mccchurch.net

OneKirk

Email: enquiries@onekirk.org

Press For Change

Email: letters@pfc.org.uk

Address: BM Network, London, WC1N 3XX

Press for Change is a political lobbying and educational organisation, which campaigns to achieve equal civil rights and liberties for all transgender people in the United Kingdom, through legislation and social change.

Religious Tolerance

A web site listing the policies of different religious groups towards homosexuals and homosexuality

Reluctant Journey

This site simply tells the profound true story of George Hopper and his wife being led by God from homophobia to Christian love for homosexuals, Christians especially.

Roy Clements

Roy Clements is an evangelical Christian and former pastor who was forced to leave public ministry after being ‘outed’ as gay in 1999.

Safety Net

A group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and heterosexual Christians who meet every year at the Greenbelt Christian Arts Festival in the UK

Sibyls

Address: BM Sibyls, London, WC1N 3XX

Christian Spirituality Group for the Transgendered

Stonewall

Works to secure legal equality and social justice for lesbians, gays and bisexuals

Student Christian Movement

Seeks to bring together students of all denominations to explore the Christian faith in an open-minded and non-judgemental environment

The Church Times

The world’s leading Anglican weekly newspaper

Young Lesbian and Gay Christians

A group for young lesbians, gays and bisexuals under 30

North American Websites

Beyond Inclusion

Celebrating the ministries and commitments of GBLT people in the Episcopal Church and helping mainstream parishes move towards blessing same-sex relationships; based in California

Bridges-Across the Divide

Provides models and resources for building respectful relationships among those who disagree about moral issues surrounding homosexuality, bisexuality and gender variance

Christian Lesbians

Articles, life stories, message boards, chat, books, music and links for Christian lesbians

Claiming the Blessing

Claiming the Blessing is an intentional collaborative ministry of leading Episcopal justice organizations focused on promoting wholeness in human relationships, abolishing prejudice and oppression, and healing the rift between sexuality and spirituality in the Church.

Every Voice Network

Dedicated to informing, supporting and uniting progressive Epsicopalians engaged in peace and justice work

Gaychurch.org

gcn – the gay christian network

A place to meet people, have questions answered, discuss issues, find books and resources on homosexuality & Christianity

Integrity Canada

Integrity Canada is a national network of organizations and friends working toward the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people in the life of the Anglican Church of Canada. We are part of the international lesbian and gay Christian movement, encouraging churches around the world to promote the basic human rights of gay and lesbian people and to support their active participation in the life of the Church.

Integrity Toronto

Information and resource site for gay, lesbian and bisexual Anglicans and friends in the Diocese of Toronto

Integrity USA

An organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trangendered [GLBT] Episcopalians and straight people

Louie Crew Home Page

Information and news about the Episcopal Church in the USA, with lesbigay pages

More Light Presbyterians

Seeking lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

Oasis California

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of California

Oasis New Jersey

The Oasis is a justice ministry of The Episcopal Diocese of Newark with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight people regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, class or ability.

The Living Waters

A ministry of the Episcopal Church for GLBT people in central Minnesota

Whosoever Magazine

An Online Magazine for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Christians

International Websites

African’s Vision 2000 (no web address)

Email: nuuhu@yahoo.com

Anglican Gay and Lesbian Group in Naddangira, Uganda

European Forum of Lesbian and Gay Christian Groups

The European Forum of Lesbian and Gay Christian Groups exists to work for equality for lesbian and gay people within and through the Christian churches of Europe.

Gay Christian Europe

Gay Christian Europe offers multi-lingual support and resources to Christians of all denominations in Europe, who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) or questioning their sexual orientation, in their own mother tongues.

Integrity Uganda (no web address)

Email: integrityugcommittee@yahoo.com

Integrity Chapter in Kampala, Uganda

J-FLAG Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays

Email: info@jflag.org

Address: J-FLAG P.O. Box 1152, Kingston 8, Jamaica, West Indies

The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays was founded in December, 1998 as the first human rights organization in the country's history to serve the needs of Lesbians, Gays and All-Sexuals.

LGBT Religious Archives Network

The LGBT Religious Archives Network (LGBT-RAN) is an innovative venture in preserving history and encouraging scholarly study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) religious movements around the world. LGBT-RAN has a two-fold basic purpose. First it assists LGBT religious leaders and groups in determining how best to preserve their records and papers in appropriate repositories. Secondly, LGBT-RAN provides an electronic information clearinghouse for these archival collections and other historical data about LGBT religious history for the use of historians, researchers and other interested persons. Initiated in 2001 as a project of the Chicago Theological Seminary, LGBT-RAN can best be understood as a "virtual" archive. It is not a physical repository that collects and preserves papers and records. Instead, LGBT-RAN is a resource center that enables the preservation of history and makes historical information easily accessible through this web site.

Recognizing that history is written from the perspective of those who preserve their records, LGBT-RAN's overarching purpose is to ensure the preservation and accessibility of the voices and experiences of a great diversity of LGBT religious leaders and groups.

Mission Statement

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Religious Archives Network (LGBT-RAN) coordinates and supports the identification, collection and preservation of personal papers and organizational records from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender religious movements. To encourage scholarly research and historical study of these important movements for social change, LGBT-RAN disseminates information about these records and provides and facilitates access to them, using digital technology when possible.

Other Sheep Ministries

Email: sparelli2002@yahoo.com

About Other Sheep 

. . . dedicated to empowering sexual minorities throughout the world with the Good News of God's unconditional love for all and salvation through God's Son, Jesus Christ . . . we recognize that ideological fundamentalism in various religions, especially Christianity, Judaism
and Islam, constitutes the major obstacle to justice for our people.

Sexual Minorities Uganda

Email: info@sexualminoritiesuganda.org

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) is the umbrella organisation for Ugandan lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex organisations in Uganda. The organizations comprise: Freedom & Roam, Spectrum Uganda, Integrity Uganda and Icebreakers Uganda.

UK Retreat Centres

Changing Attitude recommends these retreat centres as places where lesbigay Christians will find a safe welcome.

Charney Manor

Address: Charney Bassett, Wantage, Oxon OX12 0EJ

Charney Manor, one of the oldest inhabited houses in Britain, is a place of tranquillity, where people come for reflection, renewal and retreat. Once the grange of the Benedictine abbey of Abingdon, the Manor is now owned and managed by Quakers (Religious Society of Friends). With its comfortable rooms and delightful grounds The Manor offers a warm welcome to groups throughout the year.

Community of St Francis

Address: Compton Durville Manor House, South Petherton, Somerset TA13 5ES

The Community of St Francis is an Anglican Religious Order of sisters living together in community under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Following Christ in the way of St Francis, we seek to live a simple life inspired by the Gospel, recognising in all people the image of God who created each of us, accepting all as our brothers and sisters. We offer hospitality and welcome on this basis to groups and individuals, women and men, of any faith or none and all denominations who have respect for our way of life.

Holland House

Address: Cropthorne, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 3NB

A place of spiritual refreshment treasured by groups of all denominations

Holy Rood House

Address: 10 Sowerby Road, Sowerby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire YO7 1HX

‘The place to turn to’ – A holistic, therapeutic centre under the care of the Directors, Revds Elizabeth and Stanley Baxter

Iona Community

Email: ionacomm@iona.org.uk

Address: The Iona Community, Isle of Iona, Argyll, Scotland PA76 6SN

The Iona Community is an ecumenical community that welcomes all people, and affirms all sexualities.

Launde Abbey

Address: East Norton, Leicester LE7 9XB

Everybody is welcome at Launde Abbey. Groups of people meet here for religious, cultural and educational purposes. Individuals come for rest, refreshment and retreat.

Llandecwyn ( St Tecwyn’s Church)

Email: jim@cottercairns.co.uk

Address: Eglwys Tecwyn Sant, Nr Harlech, Gwynedd, Cymru

A small pilgrim place for quiet prayer, simple hospitality, and thoughtful conversation

Individuals and groups of up to fifteen people are invited to come for a time of quiet and reflection.

For further information please contact the hospitaller, Jim Cotter, Dwylan, Stryd Fawr, Harlech, Gwynedd, LL46 2YA
01766 781 368

Scargill House

Email: info@scargillhouse.co.uk

Address: Scargill House Kettlewell SKIPTON North Yorkshire BD23 5HU

Scargill strives to welcome all people, and to celebrate the diversity within our own community; we therefore believe that we can indeed offer a safe, welcoming space to explore spirituality for all, including those who define as LGBT, their friends, relatives and supporters! We hold courses and events as well as private retreats,

Shell Cottage

Address: The Thatched Cottage, Penberth, St Buryan, Penzance, Cornwall TR19 6HJ

Shell Cottage is situated in a spectacular position overlooking the sea at Penberth cove, which is one of the last few remaining small working fishing coves in the far west of Cornwall. The cottage is self-catering and sleeps six people, and although small groups can book the whole house, each bedroom is available separately for individuals, either for a retreat or for a quiet break. The cottage is also available on a daily basis, both for individuals and for groups of up to about fifteen people. There are regular led Quiet Days throughout the year.

Small Pilgrim Places

‘Breathing Spaces on the Pilgrim Journey’. (Not retreat centres as such.) For information about Llandecwyn, see http://www.smallpilgrimplaces.org.uk/LPP_2005.html.

St Columba’s House

Address: Maybury Hill, Woking, Surrey GU22 8AB

Here we seek to create an environment that is conducive to calm reflection and renewal, with both spiritual and temporal support to hand.

The Abbey

Address: Sutton Courtenay, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4AF

The Abbey is run by a small community of real people who care about the earth, spirit, each other and ourselves!  We are conscious of valuing what you do and try to express this awareness through creating supportive and relaxed atmospheres where you can work.

The Royal Foundation of St Katharine

Address: 2 Butcher Row, Limehouse, London E14 8DS

We offer an attractive setting for Meetings, Conferences, Seminars, Receptions, Retreats and Quiet Days in the centre of London between the City and Canary Wharf with easy access to the West End.

The Society of Martha and Mary

Address: The Sheldon Centre, Dunsford, Exeter, Devon EX6 7LE

Sheldon is home to the Sheldon Community. It is owned by an independent ecumenical charity the Society of Mary and Martha. We look forward to welcoming you to a place renowned for its beauty, its peace, and the vitality of life at its heart.

Whaley Hall Ecumenical Retreat and Conference House

Address: Reservoir Road, Whaley Bridge, High Peak, Derbyshire SK23 7BL

Whaley Hall is a conference and retreat centre situated at the gateway to the Peak Park. The Victorian House, set in its own grounds, has been the Foundation House of the Community of the King of Love, an ecumenical community of men and women, since 1979.

Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre

Address: 1046 Bristol Road, Birmingham B29 6LJ

... a refreshing oasis of calm in an urban setting

Woodbrooke is a conference centre with a difference. We are a vibrant Quaker Study Centre and have been since 1903. Our beautiful buildings, 10-acre garden and friendly service can also provide the ideal setting for your small group or larger organisation.

Telephone 01380 724908
E-mail office@changingattitude.org

This page was last updated on Monday, 18 August 2008