Open Table Network (OTN) is a Christian charity which supports church communities for LGBT people and their allies in England and Wales.[1]
Organisation
The Open Table Network is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered by the Charity Commission on 19 March 2021, whose charitable object is the "promotion of equality and diversity, and the relief of those in need for the public benefit, particularly in the area of LGBTQIA+ equality in religious organisations in the UK".[2] At the time of registration, there were 18 Open Table communities.[3][4] According to the charity's annual report for 2023, there were 35 communities by the end of that year.[5]
Kieran Bohan is Director since October 2023,[6] having previously served as Coordinator of the Open Table Network.[7][8] Bohan broadcast a reflection on Open Table as part of a BBC Radio 4 service led by Rachel Mann in September 2020.[9] In May 2022, he and his partner celebrated the tenth anniversary of their civil partnership, the first in the UK to be celebrated in a religious building.[10]
The co-chairs are Andrew Howorth and Sarah Hobbs.[11]
In June 2008, the first Open Table community was founded at St Bride's Church, Liverpool; by 2019, the network consisted of 17 communities in England and Wales.[20][21] An article in the book Journeys in Grace and Truth, edited by Jayne Ozanne, describes the founding and history of Open Table.[22][23] In Christianity, "open table" refers to the custom of offering communion to all baptised Christians regardless of denomination.[24]
At the first planning meeting, someone said: 'Will it be "Open Table"?' When she explained that it means all are welcome, all can come as they are, we felt this was so important because we hear too many stories of people who feared exclusion, or were excluded, from their church community, who felt unheard or unable to express themselves or give their talents. So Open Table was born.[22][23]
Open Table began as a fresh expression hosted by the Team Parish of St Luke in the City, Liverpool,[25] which is served by the churches of St Bride, St Dunstan, and St Michael in the City.[26][27] In 2019,
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, Team Rector at St Luke in the City, advocated offering control of church organisations to marginalised groups, such as LGBT Christians; she describes Open Table as an "electrifying" example of this idea working successfully in practice.[28]
In 2016, Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool until February 2022,[29] called for changes in the Church of England's attitudes to lesbian and gay people; recalling to The Guardian a visit to the Open Table congregation in Liverpool, he said: "I saw their faithfulness as Christians, often in difficult circumstances, sometimes in trying to say who they are within the church. I want to make room for a congregation like Open Table."[30] In 2019, Bayes described Open Table as "one of the fastest growing Church planting movements in England".[21]
In 2018, Open Table Cambridge was established at Downing Place United Reformed Church, Cambridge.[31] Gay Christian co-founder Alison Binney said she had "immediately felt safe to be myself" at the church.[31] Asked about the exclusion of LGBT+ Christians from church life, she said: "I think sometimes people who feel unloved and frightened come from churches which say things like, “We take the Bible seriously” as a way to justify exclusion. And perhaps it would be helpful for you to hear this: We take the Bible incredibly seriously too."[31]
In 2019, Open Table successfully campaigned for the Home Office to grant Yew Fook Sam, a gay Malaysian, asylum for five years.[7][20] The campaign started by Open Table and promoted by the Liverpool Echo gathered more than 5000 signatures to an online petition.[32]
In 2020, the Open Table Network received a £15,000 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund to fund staff time and technology to help support members of OTN communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
In 2021, Civil Society Consulting prepared a report for the Open Table Network,[33] arguing that "LGBT Christians have been adversely affected by national lockdowns" and called for more support.[34]
In January 2023, the Church of England decided that same-sex couples could "give thanks" and "receive God's blessing" for their civil marriage or partnerships in church, but that Holy Matrimony continues "unchanged" to be between one man and one woman.[36] Kieran Bohan said: "This is sad news. Other Christian denominations now welcome same-gender couples who wish to be joined in holy matrimony. We regret that England's own established church still denies LGBT+ people this equality."[36]
^"Faith in schools". Liverpool Echo. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2021. THERE is a service at St Bride's Church this Sunday at 8.30pm for LGB&T Christians – and any seeking a more inclusive church – followed by a pub visit.The group, Changing Attitudes, is behind the service and it has a meeting planned with the Bishop of Liverpool next Wednesday. If you would like any points or views expressed to the bishop then please arrive at the church an hour early on Sunday to discuss them. The service, known as Open Table, will take place every third Sunday.
^"Open Table: LGBT Christians 'need more support'". Church Times. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021. LGBT Christians have been adversely affected by national lockdowns, because they have lacked access to in-person emotional and spiritual support, a report from the Open Table Network (OTN) suggests. 'These are all people who have experienced prejudice and exclusion at home, in the workplace, local community, but especially in faith communities,' its report, prepared by Civil Society Consulting, explains.
