CofE leaders across Birmingham express support for same-sex blessing services
A letter signed by over 85 church leaders across the Church of England diocese of Birmingham has been published today, expressing their gratitude to the Acting Bishop of Birmingham for her leadership of the diocese through the recent Living in Love and Faith process. The signatories to the letter to Bishop Anne Hollinghurst - who represent over 50 parishes, and include a significant number of Area Deans, diocesan advisors and chaplains - also state their willingness to use the new Prayers of Love and Faith resource for the blessing of same-sex couples, and their commitment to working towards 'the full affirmation of faithful LGBT+ Christians within the life of Church of England Birmingham'.
The letter of support comes at a time when Church of England bishops are being targeted by a loud minority of often financially well-resourced, conservative voices of resistance to recent developments, with some campaigning for structural separation within the denomination. The authors of this Birmingham letter wanted to give voice to the majority in the Church who support moves to greater inclusivity but are often not so vocal - and to encourage church leaders in other dioceses to write similar collective letters to their own bishops. In the face of threats of schism, the letter ends with an affirmation of Bishop Anne Hollinghurst's own words, committing to work alongside her in Birmingham to 'hold on to one another across our difference and disagreement', as we seek to see more and 'more clearly the life of Jesus in our midst'.
The letter was co-authored by 3 senior priests in Church of England Birmingham:
To: Bishop Anne Hollinghurst, Bishop of Aston and Acting Bishop of Birmingham
Monday 18th December 2023
Dear Bishop Anne,
We are writing, as clergy and lay leaders across the diocese of
Birmingham, to express our deep gratitude for your leadership within the
diocese, both during the episcopal vacancy and in particular through this most
recent phase of the Living in Love and Faith process.
You have consistently reminded us that LLF has been a long-term
process of attentive listening, to each other, and to the Holy Spirit, guided
by the six 'pastoral principles for living and learning well together'. In all
our collective conversations within the diocese, you have embodied those
principles in the conversations you have convened and the contributions you
have made. We are grateful too for your leadership in the creation of the CofE
Birmingham LGBT+ Chaplaincy Support Team. We are also very aware that your
leadership in those processes has at times been costly, and want to assure you
that there are a great number of faithful Christians within your diocese who
offer you our full support.
We look forward to the opportunities ahead to draw on the Prayers
of Love and Faith resources in our parishes and chaplaincy contexts,
as another small but significant step towards the full affirmation of faithful
LGBT+ Christians within the life of Church of England Birmingham. In your
recent Diocesan Synod presidential address, you called us to 'hold on to one
another across our difference and disagreement', as we seek to see more and
'more clearly the life of Jesus in our midst'. We are committed to continue
working alongside you to do just that.
With our ongoing gratitude,
support and prayers,
1. Revd Dr Al Barrett, Rector, Hodge Hill Church and Oversight
Minister
2. Revd Canon Barrie Scott, Deputy Director of Education, CofE
Birmingham, and LGBT+ Chaplaincy Team Coordinator, CofE Birmingham
3. Revd Claire Turner, Vicar, St Chad’s Rubery and Oversight Minister
4. Revd Jenni Crewes, Vicar, St Hilda Warley Woods and Oversight
Minister
5. Revd Mandy J
Harris, Interim Assistant Curate, St Barnabas, Kingshurst
6. Revd Gloria Smith, Assistant Curate, Hodge Hill
7. Revd Dr John White, Priest
in Charge of Kingsbury, Baxterley with Hurley and Wood End and Merevale with
Bentley
8. Revd Canon Louise Shaw, Area Dean of
Coleshill & Polesworth Deanery
9. Ian Dickinson, Church Warden, St Hilda Warley Woods
10. Fran Ellis, Reader, St Hilda Warley Woods
11. Revd Fiona Harrison-Smith, Rector St Mary & St
Margarets Castle Bromwich & Vicar St Clement's of Alexandria Castle
Bromwich with Hope on Smith's Wood
12. Revd Chloe Hewett, Assistant Curate, St Chad’s Rubery
13. Revd Dr Sharon Jones, Chaplain to University of
Birmingham & Lead Chaplain for Higher Education, CofE Birmingham
14. Revd Tammy Tearoe, Assistant Curate, St Margaret’s
Olton
15. Wendy Callagan, Churchwarden, St Barthlomew, Allens
Cross
16. Margaret Ward, Churchwarden, St Bartholomew, Allens
Cross
17. Revd Colin Corke, Associate Priest, St Chad’s Rubery
18. Revd Louise Beasley, Assistant Curate, Lickey &
Blackwell Parish
19. Revd Theresa Morton, Priest in Charge, St
Bartholomew, Allens Cross
20. Janice Morton, Lay Minister, St Bartholomew, Allens
Cross
21. Revd Dr Genny Tunbridge, PTO priest, Hodge Hill
22. Fred Rattley, CEO, Thrive Together Birmingham
23. Revd Canon Richard Wharton, Vicar, Bournville Parish
Church
24. Revd Canon Steve Jones, Bishop’s Adviser on
Disability, CofE Birmingham, and Assistant Priest, St Stephen the Martyr
25. Revd Canon Becky Stephens, Bishop’s Adviser for
Women’s Ministry, CofE Birmingham, and Vicar & Oversight Minister, St
Peter’s Maney & Holy Trinity, Sutton Coldfield
26. Revd Dr Sam Gibson, Vicar, St George’s Edgbaston
27. Revd Carole Young, Associate Priest, Kingsbury,
Baxterley with Hurley and Wood End and Merevale
with Bentley
28. Dr Diane Reeves, Reader, St Peter’s Harborne
29. Mike Lynch, Reader, Hodge Hill Church
30. Jeannie Lynch, Reader, Hodge Hill Church
31. Revd Mark Waterstreet, Curate in charge, Whitacres,
Lea Marston & Shustoke, and St Paul’s Dosthill
32. Revd Trevor Thurston-Smith, Vicar, St Matthew’s Perry
Beeches
33. Revd Canon Martin Stephenson, Vicar of St Peter’s Hall Green,
Priest in Charge of St Michael’s Hall Green, Chaplain of Birmingham Mothers’
Union
34. Revd Canon David Warbrick, Vicar of All Saints Kings Heath
35. Revd Canon Andrew Hutchinson, Chaplain, Blue Coat School and
Associate Priest, St Alphege Solihull
36. Revd Sara Moore, Vicar, Old Church, Smethwick
37. Revd Wendy Martin, Associate Priest, Shirley Parish
38. Revd Helen Glithero, Associate Priest, St Peter’s Hall Green, and
Chaplain, Worcester Acute Hospital Trust
39. Fr George Reeves, Assistant Curate, St George’s Edgbaston
40. Kathryn Hawker, Reader, St Peter’s Hall Green
41. Revd Simon Marshall, Team Vicar, Solihull Parish
42. Revd Susan Larkin, Vicar, St Thomas Garretts Green
43. Revd Hazel White, Vicar, St Mary’s Selly Oak and Bishop’s Adviser
for Spirituality
44. Revd Paul Day, Vicar, Shirley parish
45. Pauline Weaver, Parish Lay Minister, Kings Norton parish
46. Revd Charlotte Gibson, Assistant Curate, St Peter’s Harborne
47. Revd Helen Hingley, Retired priest with PTO
48. Revd Richard Haynes, Assistant Curate, Shirley parish
49. Revd Joanne Dyer, Rector, All Souls parish, North Warwickshire
50. Revd Nick Parker, Priest in Charge and Oversight Minister,
Solihull parish
51. Revd Susan Chandler, Associate Priest, Solihull parish
52. Revd Siobhan Bridge, Vicar & Oversight Minister, St Paul &
St Bernard Hamstead
53. Revd Lynn Busfield, Hospice Chaplain & PTO, All Saints Kings
Heath
54. Revd Emma Sykes, Vicar & Oversight Minister, St Barnabas
Erdington
55. Revd John Bridge, Vicar & Oversight Minister, St Giles Rowley
Regis
56. Nigel Pedley, Reader & Church warden, St Chad’s Rubery
57. Revd Canon Dominic Melville, Priest in Charge & Oversight
Minister, Bishop Latimer United Church & St Michael’s Handsworth
58. Revd Debbie Collins, Vicar, St Mary’s Temple Balsall & Master
of the Foundation of Lady Katherine Leveson
59. Deborah Jewison, Inclusion & Engagement Group Coordinator, St
Francis Bournville
60. Adam Chinery-North, Reader, St Peter’s Hall Green
61. Dawn Brathwaite, General Synod lay representative, CofE Birmingham
& congregation member, St Boniface Quinton
62. Revd Emily R-Scott, Assistant Curate, St Peter’s Maney
63. Revd Wayne Simmonds, Assistant Curate
64. Revd Canon Lucille Arlidge, SSM Incumbent, St Matthew with St
Chad, Smethwick
65. Revd Ann Richardson, Area Dean, Aston & Sutton Coldfield
Deanery
66. Ros Sheppard, Reader Training Tutor and Reader, Hodge Hill Church
67. Elisabeth Fisher, Reader, St John the Evangelist, Perry Barr
68. Revd Magdalen Smith, Associate Vicar, Moseley parish
69. Dr Mary Charlton, Reader Training Tutor and Reader, Hampton in
Arden
70. Alison Bennett, Reader, St Peter’s Balsall Common
71. Kate Day, Reader, Shirley parish
72. Revd Stuart Dimes, Vicar, Hampton in Arden
73. Revd Paul Hinton, Head of Ministry Formation, CofE Birmingham
74. Revd Suzy Pearson, Assistant Curate, St Barnabas Erdington
75. Ben Hodson-Franks, LGBT+ Chaplaincy Team CofE Birmingham, Co-convenor Changing Attitude Birmingham
76. Revd Liz Dumain, SSM Assistant Curate, St Columba's Banners Gate
77. Revd Gary Birchall, Incumbent, St Michael's Boldmere
78. Revd Leanne Carr, Vicar & Oversight Minister, All Saints Four Oaks & St James, Hill
79. Sandra Joyce, Reader, St James, Hill
80. Canon Dr Andrew Smith, Director of Interfaith Relations for the Bishop of Birmingham
81. Kathy Richards, Churchwarden, St James, Hill
82. Val Harris, Reader, St Mary Magdalen, Hazelwell
83. Andy Harris, Reader, St Mary Magdalen, Hazelwell
84. Louise Richmond, Churchwarden, All Saints, Four Oaks
85. Revd Beccy Allen, Vicar, St Columba's Banners Gate
86. Dr Peter Alcock TSSF, Reader, Moseley parish
87. Emma Cartwright, Children & Families Mission Enabler, Warley & Edgbaston Deanery
88. Revd Kate Stowe, Vicar, St Peter's Harborne
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