Living in France, I have received so much great help and comfort from TFT that I had to be careful not to get too used to it and keep looking for fellowship closer to home. Being cared for by a remote ministry got me wondering about God’s ministry to us. Is it a near or a remote one?

John shares his story of the guilt he faced with his same-sex attractions. Through finding acceptance at TFT, he found much greater freedom as no-one was telling him that his sexuality needed to change any more. Whilst continuing to battle temptation, like any Christian, John found a much greater contentment.

Brian explains the value of having a support group in his church for same-sex attracted believers, to help them feel heard and safe. But he goes on to explain that ultimately the church should outgrow its need for such a group as the whole church becomes an increasingly welcoming place for LGBT people.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). As a young child, I sang this well-known scripture verse along with a cassette tape of Bible songs. My mom interrupted me, saying, “You shouldn’t sing that! It’s too negative.” That moment encapsulates how my family, and even my church, felt about sin. It was something we didn’t talk about, or even think about, and certainly not something we ever did.

I was once part of a small group (around ten people at the time) from a large church (several hundred people) in Cambridge that held to the orthodox view on biblical sexuality. We formed this group of various people within the church who experienced same-sex temptations. The leader of the group was Brian, who did not personally struggle with same-sex feelings, but he had a gift for overseeing our gatherings.

To tell you my story, I should really go back to the 1970s. I grew up in rural East Anglia. My family were Quakers and so, from my birth, they took me along to the local Friends Meeting House. The one thing I most remember was being interminably bored!