I am delighted to be joining the board of Inclusive Church, representing the Student Christian Movement. SCM is the oldest student Christian organisation in the UK, and works to create and sustain progressive, inclusive Christian spaces for university students.
Growing up, I was blessed to attend St Leonard’s Church in Hythe, Kent, where I sang in the choirs. St Leonard’s is a registered Inclusive Church, and I first encountered Inclusive Church as a teenager, when I was given some of the Inclusive Church resource books by my priest. I was so fortunate that my early – formative – experience of Church, as a queer person, was one of inclusion and affirmation. This certainly informed my decision to study theology at university, and it was wonderful to lead my local SCM group in Cambridge, and to build an inclusive and safe Christian community with other students.
I still live in Cambridge, and now work for CBM UK, a charity working alongside local partners to transform the lives of people with disabilities in some of the world’s poorest places. CBM’s work is driven by Christian values – most importantly, the belief that all people are equal and precious in the eyes of God, and by Jesus’ radical example of solidarity with and compassion for marginalised people.
Inclusive Church is doing essential work to ensure that people are able to find churches and communities that love us as God does – as we are.
Inclusive Church holds a very special place in my heart, as it was so important to my early encounters with inclusive and affirming Christianity. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of its very exciting future!