The Gathering, a Christian church that preaches that everyone has a right to worship regardless of sexual orientation or gender, turned 10 years old last Sunday
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One of a growing number of LGBTQ+ Churches in Cardiff, the leadership team at The Gathering is headed by a Methodist minister, Reverend Delyth Liddell. However, there are believers from a variety of faith backgrounds within the congregation, including some who used to follow evangelicalism, a branch of Christianity that usually adopts more conservative views.
The congregation meets in the City Reformed Church on Windsor place in Cardiff every Sunday. Services feature informal sermons, prayer, and contemporary religious music as well as discussion of LGBTQ+ issues like the recent international trans day of remembrance.
Delyth is passionate about bringing “justice and dignity for all,” and says that the anniversary is “a celebration for us at the gathering of all of the people we’ve been able to support because of their sexuality or gender over the last 10 years.”
Organisations like The Gathering offer a safe space for LGBTQ+ Christians, who often do not feel able to be open about their identity in religious spaces.
Research from Stonewall, a leading LGBT rights charity in the United Kingdom, says that a third of lesbian, gay and bi people of faith and a quarter of trans people of faith aren’t open with anyone in their faith community about their sexual orientation.
This problem has not gone unseen by the faith community. The Open Table Network, which was founded because “because many churches and their congregations do not easily, kindly or honestly welcome LGBTQIA+ people” currently connects and supports 21 LGBTQ+ friendly churches, with more joining every year. The Gathering is a part of the growing movement towards inclusivity, with a thriving and diverse community of worshippers.
In their remarks made during the service, which was also live-streamed on social media, after a decade of providing a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ people in Cardiff, the Gathering’s leadership are excited for the future and eager as ever to continue spreading their message of “radical inclusivity and radical love for everyone.”
Listen to our podcast Talk It Out for more coverage of The Gathering and it’s work in Cardiff.
