Category: relationships

Make time for peace: A call to action

SEPTEMBER 21st is the United Nations International Day of Peace, created in 1981 as an opportunity for ‘commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.’ Two decades later, in 2001, the UN General Assembly designated the day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. The World Council of Churches …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2025/09/21/make-time-for-peace-a-call-to-action/

Encouraging words build community spirit

LAST MONTH, as part of my training as a Methodist minister, I shared this reflection about the inmportance of sharing encouragement when we can, not waiting until someone leaves or has died to say how we really feel.

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2025/08/04/encouraging-words-build-community-spirit/

‘Will it be Open Table?’ The question that started a movement

FEBRUARY is LGBT+ History Month,an annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and non-binary history. The Methodist Church in Britain has published resources for LGBT+ History Month since 2022. This year they asked me, as Director of the Open Table Network to share the story of how Open Table began and has grown from one to many communities.

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2025/02/10/will-it-be-open-table-the-question-that-started-a-movement/

My Christian journey – A testimonal for ministry training

IN MAY 2023 I began the process of applying to begin training as a Methodist minister in 2024. This is the testimonial I wrote for a portfolio as part of my application.

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2023/11/24/my-christian-journey-a-testimonal-for-ministry-training/

10 years of same-sex marriage in England & Wales – BBC Radio Merseyside interview

TEN YEARS AGO today the Houses of Parliament passed legislation to allow same-sex marriage in England and Wales. To mark the anniversary, BBC Radio Merseyside host Paul Salt interview me and my husband Warren, as we were the first couple to register a civil partnership in a place of worship in the UK.

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2023/07/17/10-years-of-same-sex-marriage-in-england-wales-bbc-radio-merseyside-interview/

Sergius and Bacchus – Saints united in brother-making

TODAY, 7th October, is celebrated in many Eastern and Western churches as the feast day of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, (died c. 303, Syria), who are among the earliest authenticated and most celebrated Christian martyrs. Their story also includes one of the earliest known references to ‘Brother-Making’ in the early church. This rite, found in Western and Eastern …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2022/10/07/sergius-and-bacchus-saints-united-in-brother-making/

Ten years since first civil partnership in UK place of worship

ON 6th May 2012, Warren and I arranged a church blessing after registering our civil partnership. While we were planning it, the UK Government changed the law so we could register our civil partnership in a church – and be the first couple in the UK to do so! We spoke to the Liverpool Echo …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2022/05/06/ten-years-since-first-civil-partnership-in-uk-place-of-worship/

The Church’s response to survivors: From stumbling block to stepping stone

LAST WEEK I shared my story in a
Methodist Church webinar on safeguarding: ‘The Church’s response to survivors: From stumbling block to stepping stone’.
Here is my response, some of which didn’t make the final edit.

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2022/02/27/the-churchs-response-to-survivors-from-stumbling-block-to-stepping-stone/

Sharing my coming-out story for LGBT+ History Month

FEBRUARY is LGBT+ History Month, an annual festival to celebrate the lives and achievements of LGBT+ people past and present. As part of the month-long festival, the Museum of Liverpool is hosting a panel discussion: Christianity and LGBT+ Lives, and I am on the panel. The event will explore the perception that being LGBT+ is …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2022/02/07/sharing-my-coming-out-story-for-lgbt-history-month/

Living Stones – Sharing our story at St Bride’s Liverpool

THE CHURCH which has become my spiritual home for much of my time in Liverpool – 19 years this month – is hosting reflections on Sundays called Living Stones, introducing people who’ve been here a long time and people who are new. The aim is to get to know people better and help reconnect us …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2022/01/14/living-stones-sharing-our-story-at-st-brides-liverpool/

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