The Revd Canon Jack McDonald, our Diocesan LLF Advocate shares this update with us:

On Monday 8 March, over one hundred chaplains and laity from around the diocese joined a three and a half hour zoom meeting for a presentation of the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) course materials, and special thanks are due to Andrew Caspari for handling the technical side of this meeting.

The meeting was begun and ended with prayer from Bishop Robert and The Revd Deborah Chapman (Assistant Chaplain in Barcelona). Eeva John from the Archbishops' Council introduced the LLF materials and course, with help from Bishop Jo Wells and Isabelle Hamley, members of the LLF report group. There were four moments of group work in breakout groups to discuss good listening, understandings of gender, friendship and possible uses of LLF in our own contexts. The chat was full of points and questions.

Jack McDonald, our LLF advocate, will be writing to the diocese to summarise the meeting, to inform us of arrangements for training LLF course leaders and to introduce the diocese's LLF chaplains whose role will be to accompany those who experience the need to talk through the LLF process confidentially.  According to the current timetable, chaplaincies have until the end of 2021 to report their experiences of LLF to the LLF office in London, a process which will inform the House of Bishops and the General Synod as they debate issues of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage in 2021 and 2022.