Church takes action on mental health issues

A church in Dorchester is introducing new safeguarding measures specifically to address issues faced by the LGBT+ community.

It is recognised that a higher percentage of LGBT+ people experience mental health issues and United Church Dorchester, in South Street, wanted to make sure they had procedures in place to make them feel welcome and supported.

Senior church steward Brian pictured left, who has been married to Jonai, 60, for nearly 20 years, has been working with Minister Rev John Yarrien and church secretary Mary Martin on the issue, and they ran a safeguarding course, which is available to listen to online.

Brian said: “While we have safeguarding procedures in place which apply to all attendees and users of our premises, we have not hitherto looked at the extra special needs we may need to consider for members of the LGBT communities.

“There are some very specific issues outside the normal safeguarding ideas, that we have to consider. For example, the Weymouth Methodist

Church, which is known as WeyBay, has voted 100% to allow same sex marriages. Each Methodist and United Reformed church can take a vote. There’s a warm welcome there and at our church in Dorchester, where we offer gay blessings within a service of worship.

“Jonai and I are renewing our vows in May. We had a civil partnership in 2005 at Dorchester Town Hall and when in 2014 the law changed to allow gay couples to be married we arranged to go to the register office and much to our surprise, they backdated our marriage certificate to the day of our civil partnership.” n Go to unitedchurchdorchester.org.uk