Exploring LGBT spirituality as part of The B RIGHT ON LGBT Festival during LGBT History Month organised by the Village Metropolitan Community Church (MCC).
Events on Sunday, February 19 include:
10am -1pm
Card Readings
Discover yourself with the help of The Jesus Deck. These cards can speak to us whatever our beliefs to help us discover elements of our unique spiritual journey.
10am – 11am
Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah from Brighton & Hove Progressive Synagogue
11am – 12pm
‘Male and Female God created them’. Is the gender binary divinely ordained? – Rev Shanon Ferguson
Rev Shanon Ferguson is the senior pastor of the MCC of North London and a PhD research student at Roehampton University, West London, where they are researching the theology of non-binary gender. Shanon has a long history of LGBT activism, fighting for equal rights and personally identifies as gender fluid.
12pm – 1:15pm
Explorations in Prayer and Intention – Rev. Anthea Balham
A short, fun, interactive workshop with a built-in opportunity to test the power of prayer, learn about research into prayer and set out on an intriguing journey of self-discovery. The workshop includes a reading list. Rev Anthea Ballam is an ordained interfaith minister, Secretary of the Interfaith Contact Group of Brighton and Hove and Chaplain to the Mayor of Brighton and Hove. She is a priest, teacher and writer and author of three books, including two prayer books. Her specialities are meditation and visualisation (she runs a monthly group) and the study of prayer and death. She is a busy celebrant and has a website featuring over 100 of her own funeral readings entitled http://www.funeralstoday.org and she can also be found on her own website http://www.antheab.com
1:30pm – 2:30pm
The Quaker experience – the Brighton Quakers
“Have you ever wondered what a Quaker Meeting for Worship is like? This is a perfect opportunity to find out, as a small group of LGBTQ+ Friends will talk about the Quaker experience and how it has impacted their lives, and about the relationship between their sexuality/ies and their faith. The workshop will include an opportunity to take part in a short Meeting for Worship, as well as a Q&A session in which you will be able to put any questions or queries to our queer Quaker panel.”
2:30pm – 3:30pm
The Buddhist experience – Damien Robert of The Bodhisattva Kadampa Meditation Centre
“Meditation functions to make the mind peaceful because when our mind is peaceful we are happy all the time, even if our external conditions are poor. It involves concentrating on a virtuous object, that is the main cause of mental peace. This guided meditation will be given by Damien, a student of Bodhiasttva KMC. It will include a talk explaining an aspect of Buddha’s teachings that we can immediately use to improve our daily experiences followed by a guided meditation.”
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Rev Michael Hydes brings to an end 3 weeks of spiritual events.
LGBT History Month is an international month-long annual observance of LGBT+ History and the opportunity to commemorate and remember the bravery of those who campaigned and spoke out over the years to help us achieve the freedoms and equality we enjoy today.
The PHIL STARR PAVILION, New Steine Gardens, Brighton, BN2 1PB has a fully functional stage, light and sound system, it is fully heated with a fully licensed bar.
This ground breaking affiliation seeks to engage the city in the wide range of issues highlighted through the work of the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum, as well as partner/stakeholder work.
Event: Soul Safari 3
Where: Phil Starr Pavilion, New Steine Gardens, Brighton
When: Sunday, February 19
Time: 10.am-4.30pm
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