A journey of inclusivity at Pennycross Church

The conversation about LGBT inclusion at Pennycross began in 2019 when churches were asked to discuss same sex marriage. Church members felt strongly that everybody should feel welcome and this led to a large majority voting in favour of the resolutions around the God In Love Unites Us report at the 2019 Methodist Conference. In 2021, Revd Darren Middleton arrived as an openly bisexual minister and the church leadership team prayerfully decided to focus on ministry and mission to the queer community. Welcoming people has always been a strength of Pennycross and extending this welcome to the LGBTQIA+ community was, in some ways just the next step, but in other ways challenging.

There were some church members who did not feel comfortable with the new minister’s sexuality and did not attend church on the days Darren was preaching, but the majority really got behind the mission with great enthusiasm, love and a desire to learn more. There was even some opposition from across the circuit, but this did not dissuade the congregation and leadership team at Pennycross, in fact it reinforced their mission of the need to offer an inclusive welcome.

The average age of the congregation of Pennycross was not dissimilar to the majority of Methodist churches in the UK, so many church members were unfamiliar with concepts such as non-gendered language, differing pronouns or the word queer as anything other than a derogatory label. Education has been a big part of the church’s journey towards being a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ people. There have been talks on inclusion and diversity; services for Trans Awareness Week & Trans Day of Remembrance led by trans people; services for LGBT History Month led by gay people; queer people being part of church leadership and the LGBTQIA+ mission and ministry lead; working in partnership with local LGBTQIA+ organisations; inviting queer people to share their stories.

We are a visible part of Plymouth Pride every year. We were deeply moved by the responses we got from the queer community when, in 2022, we became the first church ever to have a stall at Plymouth Pride.

Even before you enter the church you will see a rainbow flag and posters showing we are an inclusive space. Inside, our sanctuary has a Pride flag and you will regularly see Pride bunting hanging from the ceiling as well as the “Inclusive Church” mission statement. We want people to be in no doubt that they are welcome to be their full selves when they come to church. Church members are aware of pronouns and will not assume that everyone is in a heterosexual relationship. There is a high crossover between the queer and neurodivergent communities and so we have fidgets available, quieter areas to sit if preferred and there is no expectation to be still and silent during services or to chat afterwards. We are not a space where we expect people to turn up in their Sunday best but a space where each person is welcome and loved as their true self – a beloved child of God.

Preachers coming to Pennycross are reminded about our mission as an inclusive church and encouraged to use non gendered and inclusive language which does not make assumptions. We are not perfect but we continue to work on these things.

Being inclusive has brought new people to our church and it is lovely to welcome new and younger people on a Sunday morning. It is also wonderful to know that Pennycross has a reputation for being safe and welcoming amongst the local queer community.

We have been part of some wonderful moments because of our inclusive welcome. At Plymouth Pride in 2022 a man approached us and told us that he had been a Methodist Minister in Plymouth 30 years ago but had been forced to leave ministry when he came out as gay. He had been made to feel like a criminal and ashamed of his identity. He sobbed as he thanked us for being there and for healing some of the hurt that the church had caused him decades ago. The next day he came to Pennycross for our Pride Celebration service, shared his story with the church and worshipped with such joy and a glow that could not be hidden. This was the first time he had stepped inside a Methodist Church since he was forced out.

The Revd Darren Middleton is no longer the minister at Pennycross but the mission has not faltered since he left. Darren wrote the following for this article,

‘For much of my life, I have had to justify who I am. Coming out didn’t explain me — it freed me. I am flamboyant, theatrical, camp, expressive — that’s not a theological problem, it’s who I am. And my deepest longing has been to help create spaces where people no longer have to justify their existence, but are received — and more than that, celebrated.

Nicki Townsend, LGBTQIA+ Mission and Ministry Lead, Pennycross Methodist Church.