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MOVING TRIBUTES to the Right Revd Dr Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham in the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, have been published following the announcement of his sudden death on Saturday. Bishop Alan actively advocated for LGBTQIA+ people and survivors of abuse for more than 20 years.

ON SUNDAY 4th February 2024, Open Table Cambridge hosted a celebratory service to mark the start of LGBT+ History Month. OTN Patron Ven Dr Rachel Mann, Archdeacon of Bolton and Salford in the Church of England Diocese of Manchester shared this powerful message inspired by Mark 1:29-39.

LAST MONTH the Open Table community in Blackheath, south London celebrated six years and met for the last time. Revd Anne Bennett, vicar of the church which hosted the community, and Open Table Network trustee, shares her reflection on the journey.

This year the Methodist Church in Britain has shared a prayer for this month by Pam Gold, coordinator of the Methodist LGBT+ Solidarity Circle. Pam was the former Co-Convenor of the Evangelical Fellowship of Lesbian & Gay Christians and founder of two Open Table communities.

IT'S THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY. We recall how Jesus prayed for all who believe in him: 'May they all be one' [John 17:21]. We thank God he didn't say 'one and the same'! We're called to unity not uniformity, so we celebrate our diversity. OTN Trustee Neil Rees reflects on why he believes what he believes.

BISHOPS are like buses: we wait ages for one then two come at once! On Sunday 21st January two Open Table communities are hosting their local Church of England leaders.

THANKS to 46 generous donors our Advent & Christmas Crowdfunder appeal raised more than £2,000! This was almost 82% of our £2,500 target. With these gifts, OTN can offer the #PromiseOfJoy to even more LGBTQIA+ people in 2024.

CHRISTMAS can be a difficult time for LGBTQ+ folk, let alone queer Christians. This Christmas Eve, PinkNews has shared ‘a special queer-inclusive Christmas message for LGBTQ+ people’ from Revd Sarah Jones, vicar at St John The Baptist church in Cardiff, the first person transgender person to be ordained in the Church of England.

AT A CAROL SERVICE hosted by the Open Table Salford community, Kieran the OTN Director shared this reflection inspired by the Open To All exhibition, which Sacred Trinity Church, Salford, is hosting throughout December 2023. In particular, he focused on the largest painting in the collection by Revd Elizabeth Gray King, called Nativity.

WHAT DO YOU DO when you can’t find a suitable poem for an Open Table carol service? Why not write one? That’s what Jo Miller, leader of our new Open Table Colchester community did, with her wife Georgina.