The Year Ahead

If you’re anything like me, you’re already wondering how the (so-called) new year is disappearing so fast! I’m writing this on Candlemas – the feast of the presentation of Christ in the temple, forty days after Christmas. It’s a day that draws us to the edges and to the unexpected: Mary and Joseph are amazed at what the elderly priest Simeon has to say about their child. Anna, explicitly named by Luke as a prophet, hails Jesus’ presence and is the one to tell all the people about who Jesus is. Simeon hails Jesus as a light for all the peoples of the world.
I wonder sometimes if we lose something in little words like ‘all’. Every church in the world says ‘all welcome’ but as LGBT+ folks we know it can be a bit more complicated than that. There’s something about naming the specific and about being seen. So it’s significant that Luke names Anna as a prophet – against those who say women shouldn’t preach, teach or be in authority, Luke gives us a prime example to the contrary.
Our work in OneBodyOneFaith is in a way that naming of the specific. Naming that LGBT+ folk are there among all those peoples of the world that Jesus is a light for. Insisting that our safety matters. Celebrating that the joy of God is ours as much as it is anyone else’s. In a world where politics is shifting and laws and policies are changing, that matters more than ever. I’ve come into this year perhaps more uncertain about the world’s future than I’ve been for a long time.
In that situation, I’m thankful for partnership and solidarity that OneBodyOneFaith represents: all of us, our members, our board, our staff, our patrons. We have a full and exciting year ahead, continuing to develop our international partnerships, building on our work on leadership, supporting our members through Rhythm and retreats and much more. In a fairly shadowy world, I genuinely believe what we do is a bright light.
You will have seen that we have had some changes in the membership of the board and we will be needing to do some new recruitment over the coming months. Please do keep this process in your prayers: nothing we do happens without the hard work and dedication of volunteers and staff alike. We depend too on the support and financial contributions of our members: thank you for all you do. If you’re able to support us further or to encourage others to join that makes an enormous difference.
I’m looking forward to our work together this year, to shining light in the shadows and to making the world a safer and more joyful place for LGBT+ folks.
Mark, Co-Chair.