Many LGBTQ+ Christians face a pervasive sense of disconnection and isolation.
Our sexual orientation or gender identity may not be understood, respected, or safe to share in our churches.
Our Christian faith may not be understood, respected, or safe to share among our unchurched LGBTQ+ friends.
It’s lonely to feel like we can’t bring our full selves into the places where we seek belonging, especially when we’re navigating the confusion of reconciling sexuality/gender identity with faith, coming out to ourselves, coming out to others, and wrestling with scripture, sexual ethics, and life-defining decisions.
Generous Space Ministries is committed to cultivating community and combating isolation. We connect LGBTQ+ Christians to each other for companionship, support, and mutual discipleship by launching Generous Space Groups in cities across Canada.
Generous Space (GS) groups are communities of diverse people who meet regularly for conversation, fellowship and prayer, with a particular focus on including LGBTQ+ Christians and their friends and family. They provide opportunities for people with different sexual orientations, gender identities, and theological views to practice loving and understanding each other in postures of generous space: humility, hospitality, mutuality and justice.
You might be interested in these groups if you are…
- eager to meet other LGBTQ+ Christians
- looking for support and prayer during your coming out journey
- already out of the closet, and hoping to use your experience to support others
- looking for friends who will welcome both your faith and your sexuality
- exploring or re-exploring faith
- burnt out on church, but still seeking a Christian community where you can belong
Our groups open by reading this vision statement:
“This is a Generous Space group, a community of people who want to know and follow Jesus, and know and love one another. There is room for you here, no matter your sexuality, gender identity/expression, or relationship status; no matter your convictions, interpretation of Scripture, or theology; no matter how vibrant your faith, audacious your questions, or persistent your doubt.
We do not always agree, and we are not a perfect community, yet we seek the unity for which Jesus prayed. We are committed to dialogue, listening to and learning from each other, maintaining confidentiality, and pursuing reconciliation when needed. We want this to be a safe space, but we don’t always expect it to be a comfortable space, because we know that constructive tension is necessary for growth. May God use our time and friendship to nurture a community marked by humility, hospitality, mutuality and justice.”
A Note about Safety…
Pursuing generous space necessarily involves risk, controversy, and difficulty, which is why we clarify the difference between safety and comfort in our opening vision statement. While we see valid reason for permitting a level of discomfort in some of our conversations, we also want to prevent physical, mental, emotional and spiritual harm to our group members. For that reason, our groups regularly discuss their commitment to confidentiality, permission-giving (the freedom to opt out of activities), and consent (especially when it comes to physical touch). If you would like to view a copy of our policies for preventing and responding to incidents of sexual violence, please contact the Generous Space staff.
Current Groups
Click on the regional categories below to find lists of the cities where Generous Space Groups are currently meeting. You can find specific meeting dates on our event calendar. If you’re interested in connecting with a group, please email Beth (beth@generousspace.ca) for more details about meeting times & locations.
Chilliwack, BC
Chilliwack Generous Space group
1st and 3rd Thursday nights of the month
Kelowna, BC
Kelowna Generous Space group
meeting times vary
Maple Ridge, BC
Fraser Valley Generous Space group
every other Friday evening
Maple Ridge, BC
Parent’s Group
second Monday evening of the month
Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Generous Space Group
every 2nd and 4th Thursday evening
Vernon, BC
Okanagan Generous Space Group
one Friday evening a month
Victoria, BC
Victoria Generous Space group
last Wednesday evening of the month
——
Calgary, AB
Calgary Generous Space group
every Monday night
Edmonton, AB
Edmonton Generous Space group
one Sunday afternoon a month
Saskatoon, SK
Saskatoon Generous Space group
one Saturday morning a month
Winnipeg, MB
Winnipeg Generous Space group
2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings of the month
Barrie, ON
Barrie Generous Space group
meeting sporadically
Brantford, ON
Brantford Generous Space group
first Saturday of the month
Fergus/Elora, ON
Fergus/Elora Generous Space group
1st and 3rd (and 5th) Thursdays of the month
Hamilton, ON
Hamilton Generous Space Group
one Thursday evening a month
Kitchener, ON
KW Generous Space Group
1st & 3rd Thursday evenings of the month
Kitchener, ON
Parents’ Group
every few months
London, ON
London Generous Space Group
every other Thursday afternoon
Mississauga, ON
the Mississauga Gathering
1st & 3rd Wednesday evenings of the month
Oshawa, ON
Oshawa Generous Space group
one Saturday morning per month
Ottawa, ON
Ottawa Generous Space group
every Sunday evening
Owen Sound, ON
Owen Sound Generous Space group
every other Tuesday evening
Richmond Hill, ON
Richmond Hill Generous Space Group
1st and 3rd Wednesday evenings of the month
St. Catharines, ON
St. Catharines Generous Space Group
every other Tuesday evening
Toronto, ON
the Toronto Gathering
2nd Wednesday evening of the month
Windsor, ON
Living Out
once a month, dates vary
——
Montreal, QC
La Rencontre (anglophone group)
every other Thursday evening
Annapolis Valley, NS
Annapolis Valley Generous Space group
twice a month, dates vary
Halifax, NS
Halifax Generous Space group
1st Wednesday & 3rd Saturday of the month
St. John’s, NL
St. John’s Generous Space group
every other Sunday afternoon
Charlottetown, PEI
Charlottetown Generous Space group
every 1st and 3rd Tuesday night
The following groups are in exploratory/gathering stages – contact us for more information:
– Prince George, BC
– Nanaimo, BC
– Duncan, BC
– Surrey, BC
– Newmarket, ON
– Peterborough, ON
If you don’t see your city represented, we would still love to connect you to our online community by adding you to one of our secret/private Facebook groups. If you’d like to talk about launching a new group in your area, we would love to hear from you! Please email beth@generousspace.ca.
ONE-ON-ONE CONNECTION
If you would like to speak one-on-one with a Generous Space staff member about coming out, navigating family or church conflict, reconciling your sexuality/gender with faith, or anything else, we would be happy to talk to you.
We will receive your story with the care and confidentiality it deserves, and will seek to respond by listening prayerfully, offering compassion and hope, and listen together to what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life. Sometimes we will offer to connect you with other community members who will relate with specific aspects of your journey and identity.
If you live within driving distance of the greater Toronto or greater Vancouver areas (where our staff are located), we are happy to schedule a time and appropriate location to meet. If you live elsewhere, we can make use of phone calls, email, Skype or FaceTime to communicate.
In an effort to make this interpersonal ministry accessible, we do not charge fees, but we always welcome donations to Generous Space that allow us to continue on in our work.
Note: We maintain a current referral list of trusted professional therapists, and can offer assistance in finding a suitable therapist if needed.