During the week I got a message from The Gathering, a gay men’s spiritual group.

The Gathering was formed in 2005 and since this time we have contributed widely to the LGBT Community and in particular the faith and spiritual aspects of the Community. Since The Gathering formed, the range of opportunities for gay Christians to meet, discuss and explore has increased; there’s a number of events during the year, organized both by churches and by other groups… Following the recent consultation and after careful consideration it has been decided to suspend the regular meetings of The Gathering.Many of the groups especially those within church’s did not exist when The Gathering first formed and it is most encouraging that a much wider and more mainstream selection now exists within the wider church community.

You can read the full announcement on The Gathering’s website.

The Gathering has been an important part of the LGBT fabric of Belfast over the past few years. The first LGBT Christian event I attended was their carol service in 2007, and I am very pleased to see that they still intend to hold their annual carol service.