Earlier today the message below was sent to all our Campaign Supporters. But there is no reason why others shouldn’t pray for the bishops as they gather, confer and pray about the future direction of the Church of England in the light of the results of the LLF consultation. In fact there is every reason why all of us should pray for them – for loving hearts, courage and wisdom. So please take this message as an invitation to join us and others in prayer:
Dear friend
Praying for our bishops
The Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England is entering a crucial stage. The responses to the LLF consultation have been published (see https://cofe-equal-marriage.org.uk/llf-consultation-results-published/), and the College of Bishops[1] will be gathering for three residential meetings during the autumn. In the light of the LLF feedback and the events at the Lambeth Conference, they will be considering what recommendations to bring to General Synod in February 2023.
We are writing this week to the bishops re-stating our aims, calling for change and promising our prayers. We ended by saying:
We hope that as LLF comes to its conclusion you will finally be able to publicly raise your voice in favour of treating LGBTQIA+ Christians and parishioners exactly the same as everyone else, including offering them marriage in church. You will have our full support and gratitude as you do so. We are waiting.
So we invite you to pray for these meetings of the bishops, which will be held on the following dates:
- 12–15 September
- 31 October–2 November
- 12–14 December
Please also pray for representatives of our own and other inclusive groups as they meet with members of the Next Steps group on the afternoon of 30 September to share our aspirations and concerns.
We are praying that the ‘radical new Christian inclusion’ promised by the Archbishops five years ago will now at last come to fruition, and that the Church of England will move forward in generosity of spirit to bring an end to decades of discrimination against LGBTQIA+ Christians and to make our churches places where all are welcomed and valued.
Kind regards,
Nigel Pietroni
Chair, The Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England
[1] The College of Bishops, with over 100 members, consists of all the serving bishops – diocesan, suffragan and area bishops.