Left to right: Rachel Gillingham, Rev Jon March and Rev Andrew Foreshew-Cain

CAMDEN’S faith forum, the UK’s leading LGBT+ charity and a vicar who slammed the Church of England as “institutionally homophobic”, have raised concerns after a woman claimed she was forced out of a Kentish Town church when she came out as a lesbian.

The New Journal revealed last week how an internal investigation had been launched by the Church of England after Rachel Gillingham, 35, said she was frozen out of duties at St Luke’s Church in Kentish Town.

Reverend Jon March had imposed “beyond reproach” rules for all church leaders at St Luke’s, in Oseney Crescent, which included Ms Gillingham as a bible study leader.

This meant not supporting equal marriage and not having sex with another woman, as this would be viewed as a sin if no repentance was shown.

Ms Gillingham said she later needed three years of counselling to recover. St Luke’s is part of the Holy Trinity Brompton network, an evangelical church that has received millions of pounds in funding to open up new churches in recent years.

SEE ALSO: ‘Forced out’: Lesbian told being openly gay did not meet church’s behaviour rules 

Reverend Andrew Foreshew-Cain, the first vicar to marry in a same-sex wedding in the UK, said he recognised Ms Gillingham’s experiences.

He left St James’ Church in West Hampstead in 2017 and quit the Church of England – calling it “institutionally homophobic”. He said: “In a church like St Luke’s and Holy Trinity Brompton there is a deliberate attempt to hide what their actual attitudes are to LGBT people, but also to women in leadership.

“It’s not about them saying that there are disagreements about whether people can be married or not, because there is a debate to be had on that. In these churches it’s about our very existence and the very fact that we are in the church – not that we’re married or sexually active, just that we exist.”

Rev March did not lead virtual services at St Luke’s on Sunday. The New Journal has repeatedly contacted him for him comment. An out-of-office reply on Tuesday said he was on annual leave and directed all media enquiries to the Diocese of London.

The investigation cleared him of any abuse of power but said there had been pastoral failings at the church.

Labour councillor Rishi Madlani, the LGBT champion at Camden Council, said: “We need to make sure this doesn’t happen again. It would be really interesting to hear how they’re attracting young parishioners who have positive LGBT views, and how they match with the church’s after this incident.”

The Town Hall is set to examine historic funding given to St Luke’s or any council services that have been run by the church, to ensure that they conform with the council’s equality policies.

The co-leaders of Camden Faith Forum, Phil Rosenberg and Cllr Abdul Hai, paid tribute to Ms Gillingham’s decision to talk about her experience, adding: “We know that beliefs about sexuality vary tremendously among the different religious communities in Camden, and it is not our place to intervene in doctrinal matters. However, the common thread and the golden rule of all our faiths is to ‘love our neighbour’.

“This must include people of different sexual orientations.”

Jeff Ingold, head of media at the LGBT+ charity Stonewall, said: “It’s a real shame to hear of what’s happened.

“Faith is often used to justify anti-LGBT views and attitudes. This is wrong and perpetuates a myth that faith and LGBT inclusion cannot coexist. As Rachel’s story shows, faith can be a big part of LGBT people’s lives, and acceptance as part of a faith community can be incredibly important.”

The Diocese of London, who led the investigation into St Luke’s, said it was providing ongoing support to Ms Gillingham and took the complaint seriously.

In a new statement, a spokeswoman defended Rev March and said he had been “open and helpful throughout the process”, adding: “He continues to work closely with the Bishop of Edmonton on a positive way forward for the parish. Jon leads an active, thriving congregation at the heart of his local community, where his continuing ministry and mission, including the crucial importance of St Luke’s work in combating knife and gun crime, have been particularly valued.”

htaylor@camdenewjournal.co.uk