Didsbury Church’s Radical Change After Tragic Suicide
Lizzy Lowe, a UK teenager, took her own life because she did not believe her church would accept her as a gay Christian. Four years later, her church, St James in Didsbury, Manchester and its sister church, Emmanuel, have formally made the decision to accept and embrace everyone regardless of gender, race, disability, or sexuality.
Lizzie’s parents are grateful for the church’s move, and are hopeful that it might save the lives of other children. “I used to be somebody that would hold a traditional view,” says Nick Bundock, rector of St. James and Emmanuel. “But we lost a teenager, at 14, to suicide. And that puts everything else into perspective.”