ON US TV today (Sept. 22), the clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to ANY couple because she didn’t believe in same sex marriage has said what hurts her most about how she has been treated since she defied the Supreme Court ruling on marriage in June – being called ‘a hypocrite’. Kim Davis …
When God is already there: Learning through interfaith encounters
AS PART of my training for Methodist ministry, I have reflected on how encounters with people of different faiths have changed my understanding of where God is at work. From separation to encounter, I explore what interfaith engagement has taught me about listening, difference and faith.
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- 17th August 2026
- Christianity, Liverpool, Methodist, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
To be rather than to seem: The moral compass I want to carry
What would my moral compass look like? An unusual Christian Ethics assignment led me from family history and an old Latin motto to a coat of arms representing four themes that shape my writing, ministry and faith: authenticity, inclusion, peace and kindness.
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- 11th August 2026
- Christianity, identity, Kindness, Methodist, Open Table, relationships, Spirituality, Theology, YMCA
- abravefaith
Transfiguration and Hiroshima: What is mine to do for peace?
This week Christians celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, while the world also marks the eighty-first anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. At first glance these events could hardly seem further apart. One is a story of dazzling glory on a mountain; the other of unimaginable devastation beneath a mushroom cloud.
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- 3rd August 2026
- Christianity, Methodist, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
Where vocation begins: St Martin and the origin of a calling, chapels, and chaplaincy
St Martin of Tours is remembered for sharing his cloak with a beggar, but his story has much more to teach us about vocation, ministry and recognising Christ in our neighbour. Reflecting on his life again while preparing to preach, I found fresh encouragement for the call to follow Christ in everyday life.
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- 5th July 2026
- Chaplaincy, Christianity, Methodist, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
Good news worth sharing?
AS PART of my ministry training, I’m exploring what happens when we share stories of faith and invite others to respond. I’d love to hear your perspective, whatever your beliefs or background.
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- 2nd June 2026
- Christianity, Coming Out, identity, Liverpool, marriage, Marriage Equality, Meaning of Life, Mental Health, Methodist, Open Table, sexuality, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
Pride, shame, and the possibility of life
JUNE is celebrated around the world as Pride Month, remembering the long struggle of LGBTQIA+ people to live openly and safely, free from fear, shame, and discrimination. Last Sunday, as part of my training as a …
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- 1st June 2026
- Christianity, Coming Out, Hate Crime, Homophobia, identity, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Michael Causer, Open Table, sexuality, Spirituality, Theology, Transphobia
- abravefaith
Grace before agreement: What living ecumenically has taught me
What does it mean to practice Christian unity today? Drawing on my own journey across Christian traditions and the story of the Open Table Network, I explore unity, grace, and the courage to stay at the table – especially when we don’t agree on everything.
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- 2nd March 2026
- Appreciation, Chaplaincy, Christianity, Civil Partnership, Gratitude, identity, Liverpool, Methodist, Open Table, relationships, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
‘All Are Welcome!’: How a surprising witness is inspiring a national church
FEBRUARY is LGBT+ History Month, an annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and non-binary history. This year the Methodist Church in Britain asked me to connect them with a minister who could tell the story of a church that had walked the sometimes difficult journey to becoming truly inclusive and hosting an Open Table community.
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- 22nd February 2026
- Christianity, Coming Out, Gratitude, identity, LGBT rights, Methodist, Open Table, Pride, relationships, sexuality, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Standing together in the gap: Migration, identity, and the search for home
AS PART of my training for ordained ministry in the Methodist Church in Britain, I have been invited to situate my own experience of migration within global theological perspectives, particularly those emerging from African and Latin American contexts. Engaging with migration studies has revealed my story as part of a much larger global, political and theological pattern of power, privilege, and displacement. Migration, therefore, is not an abstract concept for me; it has shaped my family, my childhood, and my ministry.
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- 18th February 2026
- Christianity, Human Rights, identity, Methodist, Theology
- abravefaith
Surprised by grace: Discovering hidden treasures in Methodist vocation
TWO YEARS AGO this week, I found myself in a place I never imagined, at a Discerning Ordained Vocations [DOV] conference of the Methodist Church in Great Britain. It was part of a careful, prayerful process of listening for God’s call – a call that had already surprised me more than once.
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- 1st February 2026
- Christianity, Methodist, Spirituality
- abravefaith
From resolution to relationship – Renewing the Methodist Covenant Prayer
THIS REFLECTION began as a sermon preached at a Methodist Covenant Service. I’ve adapted it here for anyone who has ever struggled with resolutions, commitments, or prayers that ask more of us than we feel able to give. At its heart is a simple conviction: covenant begins with God, not with us.
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- 18th January 2026
- Christianity, marriage, Methodist, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Light in the darkness: Prayers for a Christmas carol service
Responsive prayers for a Christmas carol service, rooted in Scripture and centred on the ancient Christian prayer Maranatha – holding together Christ’s coming at Christmas and the hope of his coming again.
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- 26th December 2025
- Christianity, Christmas, Kindness, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Sep 22
Kim Davis – Let me show you what persecution looks like
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Christianity, Hate Crime, Human Rights, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Marriage Equality
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22nd September 2015
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/09/22/kim-davis-let-me-show-you-what-persecution-looks-like/
Aug 04
A very queer* time – Bishop goes viral, Quest continues, Love in the dock, God loves hugs & Michael’s mates
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Coming Out, Hate Crime, Human Rights, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Michael Causer, Spirituality
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4th August 2015
*Queer – originally meaning odd, used as a term of homophobic abuse, reclaimed by activists as a defiant act of liberation, now interpreted to mean radical transgression of norms – see my comments on Keith Sharpe’s book The Gay Gospels below. IT’S BEEN an extraordinary couple of weeks since my last post about the Bishop of …
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- Catholic, Catholic Church, Christian, church, Church of England, civil partnership, Civil union, coming out, current-events, England, gay, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, gender identity, God, homophobia, interfaith, Jesus, Keith Sharpe, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Liverpool, Liverpool Pride, Merseyside, Michael Causer, Roman Catholic Church, Ruth Hunt, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality, Stonewall, theology, transphobia, Youth
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/08/04/a-very-queer-time/
Jul 20
Bishop shares ‘absolute welcome’ with LGBT Christians
- By abravefaith in Christianity, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Spirituality
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20th July 2015
A CHRISTIAN community which warmly welcomes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people, their friends and family, celebrated its seventh anniversary on Sunday 19th July, with the Bishop of Liverpool as their guest. The inclusive service, known as ‘Open Table’, meets on the third Sunday of each month at St Bride’s Anglican Church on Percy …
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- Anglican, bisexual, Bishop of Liverpool, Christian, Church of England, current-events, England, gay, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, God, Hertfordshire, homophobia, Lesbian, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Liverpool, Liverpool Pride, Merseyside, Methodist, Open Table, pastoral care, Paul Bayes, Place of worship, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality, theology, trans, transphobia, United Reformed Church, Warren Hartley, Warrington
- 6 comments
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/07/20/bishop-shares-absolute-welcome-with-lgbt-christians/
Jul 12
‘Rainbow profile pictures for sex offenders’ – Homophobia NOT satire
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Marriage Equality
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12th July 2015
IT’S LATE – my phone rings. It’s someone I haven’t heard from in a while. I answer. His greeting is warm, but it sounds like he’s been drinking. He chats about Facebook – he says he doesn’t use it much but he’s logged in and noticed the rainbow filter on my profile picture, the only …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/07/12/rainbow-profile-pictures-sex-offenders-homophobia-not-satire/
Jun 27
Pride – the opposite of prejudice: From New York to old York
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Human Rights, LGBT rights, Marriage Equality
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27th June 2015
THIS SUNDAY is the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, heralded as the birth of the international LGBT rights movement. Pride marches in cities across the world, including New York and London, are taking place this weekend to commemorate the struggle for equality that began in New York’s Stonewall Inn in the early hours of June …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/06/27/pride-opposite-of-prejudice/
May 16
WATCH: United Nations ‘Free & Equal’ campaign video marking #IDAHOT2015
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Coming Out, Hate Crime, Human Rights, IDAHOT, LGBT rights
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16th May 2015
In at least 76 countries around the world, loving someone of the same sex is illegal and, in ten countries, it is even punishable by death. In many more countries citizens are denied their right to live as their preferred gender identity. As well as legal discriminations, social homophobia, biphobia and transphobia daily serve to deny millions …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/05/16/watch-united-nations-free-equal-campaign-video-marking-idahot2015/
Apr 25
A Coward with courage – challenging the Church, changing our image of God
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Marriage Equality, Spirituality
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25th April 2015
LAST WEEKEND, director of Changing Attitude Colin Coward came to our church to give a series of reflections inspired by twenty years working towards a more inclusive church around the world. Colin is an Anglican priest who originally trained as an architect and subsequently as a psychotherapist. He ministered for 19 years in inner-city parishes. …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/04/25/a-coward-with-courage-challenging-the-church-changing-our-image-of-god/
Apr 14
A conversation that matters: #OpenChurch2015 conference
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, Marriage Equality, Spirituality
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14th April 2015
Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters. This was the aim of last week’s two-day conference Open Church: The church, sexuality, mission and the future hosted by Steve Chalke, Baptist minister and founder of international charity the Oasis Trust. Steve hit the headlines two years ago when he called for an ‘open conversation’ around same-sex relationships and …
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- Christian, church, Church of England, coming out, current-events, England, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, gender identity, God, homophobia, Jesus, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Marriage, Mental health, pastoral care, Place of worship, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality, theology, Youth
- Leave comment
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/04/14/a-conversation-that-matters-openchurch2015-conference/
Mar 23
Reflecting on our identity as LGBT people of faith and as an LGBT faith community
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Meaning of Life, Spirituality
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23rd March 2015
BY POPULAR REQUEST, members of the community that meets monthly at St Bride’s Church, Liverpool for the Open Table LGBT service spent a day away again this month, six months after our first away-day last October. Following the theme of identity and individuality we explored in last month’s service, we developed and deepened this at …
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- Christian, church, Church of England, coming out, creativity, England, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, gender identity, God, homophobia, Jesus, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Liverpool, Liverpool Pride, Marriage, Mental health, Merseyside, pastoral care, Personal development, Place of worship, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality, theology, transphobia
- 3 comments
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/03/23/reflecting-identity-lgbt-faith-community/
Feb 21
LGBT History Month: What’s your story? #LGBTHM15
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Marriage Equality, Spirituality
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21st February 2015
FEBRUARY is LGBT History Month in the UK – marked every year in the UK since 2004 to remember and celebrate the lives and achievements of LGBT people past and present. It was set up by Sue Sanders, founder of Schools Out, a group for LGBT teachers since 1974. LGBT History Month is a wonderful opportunity to …
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- Catholic, Catholic Church, Christian, church, civil partnership, Civil union, coming out, current-events, England, family, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, God, homophobia, LGBT, LGBT History Month, LGBT social movements, Liverpool, Marriage, Mental health, Merseyside, Place of worship, Roman Catholic Church, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality
- 1 comment
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/02/21/lgbt-history-month-whats-your-story/
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