Living in Love and Faith
Living in Love and Faith
Along with the rest of the Church of England, the Diocese of Carlisle is currently looking at issues relating to gender, marriage, sexuality and relationships under the heading 'Living in Love and Faith'. (LLF)
These issues are intrinsic to people's experience and sense of identity, as well as the relationships that help to sustain them. But, as a Church, we don't always agree on such issues. The national Church has recommended a series of resources that will help all of us to discuss these issues openly and honestly over the next few months. There's a library of online resources, a book, a series of videos - and a multi-session course that helps those in parishes, deaneries and dioceses to grapple with the theology and ethics involved in small, supportive groups.
The purpose of the resources is to enable the Church of England churches across the country to participate in a process of learning and praying together, as part of discerning a way forward in relation to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. This phase of listening to the whole Church has recently been extended to the summer 2022.
National Resources
You can make use of the national C of E resources at any time, to study these issues for yourselves. The main introduction to the Living and Love and Faith resources is here, and you can also link directly to:
- the Living in Love and Faith Learning Hub (which includes the five-session video-based course, podcasts, films, and a large online library of resources about the themes of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage);
- a chance to order or download a copy of the Living in Love and Faith book;
- some information about the purpose of providing these LLF resources;
- a chance to meet some of the LLF team who helped to put these resources together, and to contact them directly;
- an idea of the next steps that will be taken, a church communities engage with the resources and then what happens after that.
Introductory Video
Diocesan Response
The Rev Canon Cameron Butland is the Diocese of Carlisle's LLF Facilitation Team Leader.
Since November 2020 LLF has been an item on every Bishop’s Council and Diocesan Synod agenda. Together with regular updates as part of the eNews bulletin the national resources have been made widely available. Each member of the clergy and every deanery has copies of the book of materials for local use.
The national church has extended the consideration of the LLF materials until summer 2022.The diocese is not being asked to respond to the Next Steps Group chaired by the Bishop of London. Any parishes or individual can offer views and feedback to the Bishop of London’s group via the website.
Click
here to find out how to feedback.
The feedback from the church is then to be considered by the Next Steps Group before reporting back to the House of Bishops. Following these steps LLF will then return for discussion at the General Synod.
Now that Deaneries are able to meet in person the diocesan LLF facilitation group have hosted discussions as follows: Appleby Deanery, Furness/Barrow Deanery, Kendal Deanery. At the beginning of 2022 the team are hosting four more deanery discussions and LLF will be a main item at the March Diocesan Synod.
If you wish to arrange a deanery synod item to present the materials, resources and the process, as well as facilitating local conversations, then please contact Cameron Butland.