The Bishop of Chichester, Martin Warner spoke at the Service of Welcome for Pride at St John’s Church, Preston Park on Saturday, August 3 at 1pm.
Brighton Pride 2013 was a great day for everyone. Beautiful weather and a huge turnout. The parade went off well and the Service of Welcome at which the Bishop of Chichester, Martin Warner, preached was well attended.
The Bishop spoke with passion about the inclusive nature of the Christian Gospel.
Below is a statement Bishop Martin put on the diocesan website about his attitude to Pride.
The Bishop’s Message reads:
“I am delighted to take part in the Welcome Service in the Church of St John the Evangelist, Preston, for Brighton Pride, 2013.
“It is essential that the Christian voice is loud and clear in its welcome of Pride 2013. This is a day for everyone. It’s not simply gay Pride, but a celebration of everything that enriches the cultural, social, material and spiritual life of Brighton and Hove and the invaluable contribution that gay and lesbian people make to that enrichment in so many different ways. We welcome the clear message from this community that human sexuality is a complex gifting and it demands that we honour the many varied aspects of human identity and the part they play in the life of human flourishing.
“Brighton is one of the great coastal cities of this land. On his recent visit to another coastal city, Rio de Janeiro, Pope Francis said:
“We want a Church big enough to accommodate all humanity”.
“I hope and pray, as a bishop serving Christians from one end of Sussex to the other, that we, the Church, shall be seen to expand the open arms of Jesus Christ, and, as his disciples, to embrace with love and deeper understanding all who are represented by Pride 2013 in Brighton and Hove.”
Dr Keith Sharpe, Chair of Changing Attitude Sussex who organised the event, said:
“It was marvellous that the bishop agreed to be the preacher at the Service of Welcome. He spoke with passion about the inclusive nature of the christian Gospel and of the particular value of LGBT people. He is a senior Anglican cleric and his presence at the event and the content of his talk represent a very significant positive development in relations between the Church of England and the LGBT community.”
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