Members and friends of St John’s United Reformed Church in Warrington have celebrated a new chapter of welcome, worship and belonging.
In May, the community relaunched Open Table Warrington (OTW) — part of the Open Table Network (OTN), a charity that welcomes and affirms people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+).
Open Table Warrington, the second community in the OTN and the first outside Liverpool, celebrated the start of its next chapter with a Communion service and a reflection on the Open Table story and the parable of the mustard seed.
“As we look to the future, we’re excited to see what God will grow among us — love, friendships, courage, healing, joy,” said the Revd Jenny Travis, Minister of St John’s, and the Revd Linda Bishop, a Methodist minister, OTW’s new co-leaders.
“We’re here to keep the table open, the kettle on, and the welcome wide.”
Earlier this year the community gathered to reflect on its life and future following a change in leadership. OTN Director Kieran Bohan and Jenny guided the conversation and helped the community discern, and with unanimous support the next steps together were decided.
A parent who attended the celebration was especially grateful.
“Thank you for providing my daughter with a place where she feels welcome, loved, and safe. She doesn’t need to pretend; she can come as she is,” they said.
Rachel Mitchell, a member of the community said: “When I come to Open Table I find it humbling to worship alongside, and share communion with, people of such strength, many of whom have been rejected by other churches simply for being the people God created them to be.
“They haven’t lost faith in God or rejected Christianity but have found a safe place to be fully themselves. As we move forward into a new phase of Open Table in Warrington with new leaders and new ideas, I am grateful for those who have led before and built such a loving community of believers. I look forward to the future with excitement.”
The Warrington community has played a significant part in the wider Open Table story. In 2016, the church hosted an ‘Appreciating Open Table’ day, bringing together 24 people from the first four communities in Liverpool, Warrington, Manchester and North Wales to reflect on Open Table’s shared vision, mission and values, which are still the guiding principles of OTN today.
Jenny added: “As this next chapter unfolds, the hope is simple and bold: that the good news of God’s inclusive love will ripple ever further across Warrington. We also hope that this Open Table community continues to grow — not just in numbers, but in courage, compassion, and the deep, shared knowledge that we belong to one another.”
Learn more about The Open Table Network.