We are very close to the General Synod elections, which will set the agenda in the Church of England for the next five years. We need you to do two things:

1) Think whether you could stand in these elections

2) Vote for our Supported Candidates, and encourage others to vote for them

1) Standing for election. We are working with a broad coalition of inclusive church groups supporting candidates across the church, both clergy and lay. While we have good numbers already standing, we need more. Nominations close at the start of September, so this is our last call for candidates. We welcome candidates standing in any diocese, and with a proportional voting system there is always room for more. We would be particularly interested to hear from:

Clergy in the following dioceses: Blackburn, Bristol, Europe, Exeter, Gloucester, Guildford, Leeds, Lichfield, Lincoln, Liverpool, Newcastle, Oxford, Peterborough, St Eds & Ips, Sodor & Man, Truro, York. Laity in the following dioceses: Bristol, Durham, Europe, Leeds, Lichfield, Liverpool, Peterborough, Rochester, St Eds & Ips, Salisbury, Sodor & Man, Southwell & Nottingham, Truro, York. Please contact Nic Tall at synod@inclusive-church.org if you are interested. Nic will be able to guide you through the process and add you to our list of Supported Candidates.

2) Voting. We will be issuing a list of our Supported Candidates just before voting opens on 17th September. Everyone on the list has signed up to the following statement:

“I am committed to equality for everyone, at all levels and roles within the church, regardless of gender, disability, ethnicity, socio-economic status, mental health or sexuality.”

We will be distributing the list to the members/supporters of all the partner organisations working together for this election, and also making it available at www.inclusive-synod.org. When you receive the list please forward it on to others who are able to vote and have inclusive values. Every vote will count, Synod elections can be decided by just one or two votes, so please vote and encourage others to do so. By concentrating votes on our Supported Candidates, including second and subsequent preference votes, we can keep the inclusive vote focussed on returning as many of our candidates as possible. Sharing the Supported Candidates list with others, spreading it far and wide, will be really important. Any queries about the elections?

This update was written by Nic Tall, the General Synod Elections Co-ordinator for Inclusive Church and partners. You can contact him on synod@inclusive-church.org

IC blogs and news

We're taking a break from IC Stories this month, but there should hopefully be two out next month to make up for it!

There is a new book review on the IC website for you to dig into. Stephen Nolan, IC ambassador for Bolton writes a glowing review of Rachel Mann's first novel, The Gospel of Eve.

The consultation with members and supporters on your experience of online church is still open if you want to take part.

Other news

The Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England (Equal) have sent us this update:

'The Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England ('Equal' for short) is one small piece of the jigsaw that makes up the movement for full inclusion in the churches. We are focusing on one step forward in one denomination. But that focus is very significant: the denial of marriage to same-sex couples is a glaring and scandalous injustice. Success in opening up marriage to all in the C of E will have profound consequences in all the other churches too. Not just around sexuality, either, because all the jigsaw pieces of inclusion fit together and strengthen each other.

Positive change in UK churches is accelerating. The Quakers and URC led the way on equal marriage, followed by the Episcopal Church of Scotland in 2017 and the Methodist Church of Great Britain only a few weeks ago – and the Church of Scotland isn't far behind. The discussions around Living in Love and Faith have opened up an opportunity for change in the C of E. The time for action is now – we are fired up, ready to go and are determined to see change when General Synod meets in 2022.

So, Anglican or not, please help us by signing up as supporters of the Equal Campaign, either as individuals or on behalf of your church. It's free, and you'll be entitled to receive two different lapel badges (also free) to show your support. Anyone can sign up – see https://cofe-equal-marriage.org.uk/b/fy. You won't be deluged with loads of emails, just a newsletter from time to time plus an occasional message about events or campaign actions that you might want to take part in.

Becoming an Equal supporter is easy, as you'll see when you go to https://cofe-equal-marriage.org.uk/b/XH. While you're there, please have a look at the rest of our website to see what we're doing and what resources are available. Thanks!'

We have a great network of ambassadors covering different parts of England and Wales. They are the representatives of Inclusive Church on the ground. You can find out who the ambassadors are - and where they are - by looking on the Regional Ambassadors page of our website.

Details of the role description for ambassadors is also available on the website. If you want to be an ambassador for your area, get in touch with the National Coordinator.

Ambassador's Training and Retreat

We are partnering with Holyrood House in Thirsk to offer two online training retreats in September and October for our regional ambassadors. Helen Warwick from Holyrood will be leading the retreat element while Ruth will be leading on the training side of things. We're excited to be able to collaborate with Holyrood in this way!

Every Wednesday, between 6 and 6.30pm, OneBodyOneFaith are hosting an online space for prayer called 'Rhythm'. Find out more on their website.

On the 22nd August at 4pm, St Christopher's, Hinchley Wood are hosting a Rainbow Service - Celebrating Diversity. All are welcome. For more information, contact: associate@stchristopherschurch.org.uk

Two events are taking place in September in advance of the annual Disability Conference (see below). The first is 'Out of the Depths' on the 3rd September and 'Called to the Feast' on the 10th September.

On the 2nd October, CRCOnline are hosting an online conference entitled 'Worship in a Digital Age'. The keynote speaker will be Professor Stephen Burns from the University of Divinity in Melbourne. Find our more and book through the Eventbrite page.

The 10th annual conference on disability and church, a partnership between St Martin in the Fields & Inclusive Church- (Still) Calling from the Edge - will take place on Saturday 16th October 2021.  We'll be online again this year, hosted by HeartEdge. Details and registration through Eventbrite.

From the 29th to the 31st October, Holyrood House are offering a residential LGBTQI+ retreat led by Urs Mattmann, a psychotherapist and Christian author on spirituality. You can find out more on the Holyrood House website. 

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The content of the newsletter is drawn from a number of sources including individuals and partner organisations. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect a 'formal viewpoint' of the Inclusive Church trustees, individual members of Inclusive Church or registered inclusive churches.

You can see an online version of this newsletter and previous newsletters by going to the newsletters page of the IC website.