On Sunday 21 June, over 85 people gathered at St Bride’s Church, Liverpool to celebrate the 18th birthday of Open Table, a Christian worshipping community for LGBTQIA+ people, their families, friends and allies. The thanksgiving service at St Bride’s Church in Liverpool was led by Revd Steve Chalke MBE, founder of Oasis Charitable Trust, who preached on Luke 14:12-24 and God’s radically inclusive welcome.
From 6 people in Liverpool to a national network
Open Table began at St Bride’s in June 2008 when six people gathered with a vision to create a regular communion service where LGBTQIA+ people could encounter welcome, belonging and spirituality within the life of the Church. Since 2015, the Open Table Network has supported the development of 50 communities, with 37 currently meeting across England and Wales.
Representatives from around a quarter of those communities joined the celebrations in Liverpool, alongside people from churches interested in exploring the possibility of hosting an Open Table community in their own parish or local area.
The 18th birthday celebration included worship, communion, refreshments and a slideshow charting the growth of the movement from one worshipping community in Liverpool to a network stretching across England and Wales.
Steve Chalke’s sermon can be heard on Open Table Liverpool’s Spotify channel [22 mins], while a short film from the celebration is available to watch [4 mins].
Open Table Liverpool continues to meet at St Bride’s Church and remains committed to creating spaces of welcome, faith and belonging for LGBTQIA+ Christians and their allies.
Find out more about Open Table Liverpool
For details of the Open Table Liverpool community, visit www.stbridesliverpool.org.uk/lgbtqia. To find out more about the Open Table Network, visit www.opentable.lgbt
