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Gah - I haven't been doing terribly well at finding even ten minutes at a time to update here, but life should get calmer soon, sort of at least.
Yesterday evening was pretty tough. There was a meeting for lay leaders in Stepney to discuss our responses to the Living in Love and Faith process. I wasn't sure whether it was going to be a bit of a bubble because only queer people and our allies would be likely to engage, or whether I would be the only liberal in a room full of people wanting to push back against what they saw as the church abandoning its biblical foundation. In the end it was a fairly broad mix of views, although I was the only person who explicitly identified themselves as queer.
Earlier in the week a dear friend was on the sharp end of some really crappy homophobic behaviour from their diocese, so I was feeling more challenged than usual à propos responding constructively and sympathetically to more conservative perspectives. The Bishop and Archdeacon did a very good job of directing the meeting, opening with the Pastoral Principles, and guiding us to a place of listening to one another rather than debating, which was helpful. Also helpful was that everyone took that guidance, and was careful to express themselves respectfully, and in general were talking about their own perspectives and fears rather than what was wrong in those with whom they disagreed.
I think that various people found my contributions helpful, and that despite the aforementioned challenges, I managed to listen well, and respond to the more conservative voices in way that helped them feel listened to. Afterwards a couple of people thanked me and said stuff about how brave I was, which always makes me feel a bit awkward, but was clearly well intentioned.
It was hard though, and I am still feeling quite a lot of feelings. Mostly, I think, as though I want to be reassured of something, but I'm finding it quite hard to articulate what or how.
Yesterday evening was pretty tough. There was a meeting for lay leaders in Stepney to discuss our responses to the Living in Love and Faith process. I wasn't sure whether it was going to be a bit of a bubble because only queer people and our allies would be likely to engage, or whether I would be the only liberal in a room full of people wanting to push back against what they saw as the church abandoning its biblical foundation. In the end it was a fairly broad mix of views, although I was the only person who explicitly identified themselves as queer.
Earlier in the week a dear friend was on the sharp end of some really crappy homophobic behaviour from their diocese, so I was feeling more challenged than usual à propos responding constructively and sympathetically to more conservative perspectives. The Bishop and Archdeacon did a very good job of directing the meeting, opening with the Pastoral Principles, and guiding us to a place of listening to one another rather than debating, which was helpful. Also helpful was that everyone took that guidance, and was careful to express themselves respectfully, and in general were talking about their own perspectives and fears rather than what was wrong in those with whom they disagreed.
I think that various people found my contributions helpful, and that despite the aforementioned challenges, I managed to listen well, and respond to the more conservative voices in way that helped them feel listened to. Afterwards a couple of people thanked me and said stuff about how brave I was, which always makes me feel a bit awkward, but was clearly well intentioned.
It was hard though, and I am still feeling quite a lot of feelings. Mostly, I think, as though I want to be reassured of something, but I'm finding it quite hard to articulate what or how.
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Date: 2023-06-22 10:10 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2023-06-22 10:18 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2023-06-23 09:17 pm (UTC)From:Gentle Thoughts and Bunnys.
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Date: 2023-06-23 11:22 pm (UTC)From: