051 Gender Diversity, Social Inclusion, and God - CANON GILES GODDARD talks about 21st Century Challenges

“We’re here for you, whoever you are.”

CANON GILES GODDARD is the Vicar of St John’s Waterloo and St Andrew's Church in London SE1. His challenge is one that many face while living and serving in a fast-paced multi-cultural, socially diverse, and gender diverse city such as London in the 21^st century.

“We’re quite famous for being inclusive.”

Giles talks about his mission as Vicar responsible for the (almost) 200 year old church in the dynamic community of Waterloo - and neighbour of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace - to "reignite" the community with ways to embrace justice, social inclusion, social engagement, equality and transformation. The annual Waterloo Festival is one such initiative.

Giles was, by his own definition, an atheist for some time after experiencing a lack of inclusion by the church towards him as a young gay man. During this time he studied theology at Cambridge University with a specific aim to disprove the existence of God because he was "angry with God". After University, Giles moved to London. It was the late 1970s, early 1980s, and Giles experienced London’s gay scene when HIV and Aids were at their highest levels. However, it was while staying with an old school friend in central London, that Giles was persuaded to go back to church and to his surprise, he found there was a place for him within the Church of England.

Fast forward to 2022 and Giles is now an honorary Canon of Southwark Cathedral, the Vicar of St John’s Waterloo and St Andrew's church, and is in a civil partnership with his Malaysian spouse Shanon. Giles is a central figure of London SE1, tackling many of Waterloo’s challenges with an open, inclusive attitude. He supports the Inclusive Mosque Initiative, and is a fervent supporter of climate change and environmental initiatives. His involvement with the Church of England regarding the understanding and inclusivity of all gender groups is ongoing.

To learn more about the community outreach projects St John’s Waterloo supports, the Waterloo Festival and its engagement with Accumulate and The Bridge please check out the links below.

“God is love, and those who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them.

You can’t talk it, you can just try and live it, and just try and be it.”

To find out about ST JOHN'S WATERLOO, the Waterloo Festival, The Bridge, church services, and more, please go to: https://stjohnswaterloo.org

Twitter: @stjohnswaterloo

Instagram: @st_johns_waterloo

Facebook: @stjohnswaterloo

To find out more about Accumulate go to: https://accumulate.org.uk/

To find out about your podcast host EMMA you can go to https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/

A big thanks to MARISKA Martina at https://www.mariskamartina.com/ for creating our wonderful podcast jingle!