I was at the Parish Church of Saint George in Belfast this morning and I was pleased to see copies of the parish welcome leaflet which is being launched on Thursday. The title of the leaflet is If someone in your family is gay or lesbian – what your church family can do to offer support. It is produced by Changing Attitude Ireland. The leaflet states:

Being welcomed and participating in their local faith community is the foundation of spiritual support that the Church offers to baptised persons who are gay and their families.

I’ve been going to St George’s a lot recently—and not just because Faith, Pride, and Chat is held there. It is a wonderfully welcoming church, even for people with a somewhat eclectic Christian background like me. The atmosphere in the church is summed up by 1 John 5:1, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child”, and John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Both of those verses were in the readings at the Eucharist this morning.