We're thrilled to announce that the our 20th anniversity book is now out and can be ordered from the publisher and from other responsible book shops: SCM Press.

How to Build the Church of the Future: 20 Years of Inclusive Church

Whilst things have arguably moved on in the last decade, the church continues to discriminate against people on the grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality. Drawing from ten years of lectures and essays from leading figures associated with the movement such as Loretta Minghella, Anthony Reddie, and Michael Jaggesar, this book marks the 20th anniversary of the Inclusive Church network. Together the essays offer a unique and inspiring account of what an inclusive church is, why it matters, and where it is going.

Inclusive Church has a network of 900+ churches, and a list of the new ones who have just signed up can be found below.

We also have a network of voluntary Regional Ambassadors around the country. The Ambassadors act as a point of contact between a region (especially the inclusive churches in that region) and Inclusive Church nationally.

Please get in touch if your church would like to join the network, or if you would like to be an ambassador (if your region already has one or more, don't worry - you can work together!) If you need to get in touch with any ambassador on our list, please just find their email address here.

The role description for Regional Ambassadors was updated during the annual ambassador training in 2022, in collaboration with the ambassadors themselves. It can be read here.

More information on becoming an inclusive church can be found here.

New Churches — October 2023

St Peter's, Wolvercote and
All Saints', Wytham
St Jude on the Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb
St Mary the Blessed Virgin, Woodnesborough
Christ Church Bexleyheath
Worcester Baptist Church
St John the Baptist, Bishop's Castle
Holy Trinity with St Nicholas, Weymouth
All Saints' Kenley and
St Barnabas' Purley
Toton Methodist Church
St Mary the Virgin, Ringmer
St James's Thornham and
St Mary's, High Crompton
St James's, East Crompton and
St Saviour's, Crompton Fold
St Lawrence's Heanor
St George & All Saints, Tufnell Park
St Laurence's Stroud
St Edward's, Burgess Hill
St John the Evangelist, Churchdown and Innsworth
St Matthew with St Mary, Crumpsall
Beulah URC, Cardiff and
City URC, Cardiff
St Mary's Hitcham (Slough)
Hathersage Methodist Church
St Matthew's Stretford
St Michael & All Angels, Summertown
Grange-over-Sands Methodist Church
Cirencester Ashcroft Church

Welcome, everyone; croeso, pawb!

Wiping Away Our Tears: A Service of Lament and Hope

6.30pm, Sunday 12^th November, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London

On the eve of General Synod, there will be a service by and for LGBTQIA+ people, allies and all who believe in an inclusive church.  This is organised by the General Synod Gender & Sexuality Group, which brings together organisations and people working to end discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England.

After the service all are welcome for drinks in St Martin's Hall, Lower Crypt. Please register to help us know how many people will be attending the service and/or reception.

More details and booking on https://wiping-away-our-tears-tickets.eventbrite.co.uk/

Confounding the Mighty: Stories of
Church, Social Class and Solidarity

A roundtable discussion, broadcast on YouTube, with Luke Larner, Victoria Turner, and Alex Frost, chaired by Alison Webster, General Secretary of Modern Church.

It is long past time for the church to talk seriously about social class. Like the book of the same title (SCM Press, 2023), this panel discussion will explore what role class plays in the life of churches, education establishments and social justice movements in 21st Century Britain and beyond. What does it tell us about the need to connect across difference to work for justice based on ‘deep solidarity’?

https://modernchurch.org.uk/events/confounding-the-mighty-stories-of-church-social-class-and-solidarity

OBOF Christmas Celebration

Join OneBodyOneFaith at the Wesley House, Cambridge on Saturday 16 December for a panel discussion and Big Queer Carols. For further details and to book your free place go to www.tinyurl.com/1b1f-cam23.

Grants for clergy children

Applications for the 2023 Rustat Grant, a hardship grant that supports the education of children of Church of England clergy, are open. An advert is attached and more information is available on the website of Jesus College Chapel, Cambridge.

Holy Rood House book

Helen Warwick's new book Wisdom Calls — Transformative Ways for Insightful Living is now available from Sacristy Press. There is a leaflet attached. sacristy.co.uk/book/wisdom-calls

On inclusive language

The Reverend Elizabeth Baxter, Executive Director and Leader of the Community of Holy Rood House Centre for Health and Pastoral Care, has written the attached article reflecting on inclusivity in language and liturgy, which I warmly commend to you.

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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.

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