Who We Are
Safe Harbour is an inclusive and reconciling Christian church in Exeter, UK. We provide a safe place for all people to worship, and a vibrant spiritual home for anyone who visits or wishes to share their spiritual journey with us.
Led by our pastor Rev Mia Briggs, we have a particular calling to minister to the LGBTQIA community, as well as others who experience discrimination or bullying from other faith-based groups or societal situations.
Christ call us to welcome, include and liberate. We stand for these values, and against the hate and division preached by some other churches. Our explicit ethos of inclusivity and reconciliation attracts people from a wide cross section of society. Everyone is welcome to join us on an adventure of spirituality and faith — and that means that you will be very welcome. Why not join us on Sunday to find out more?
People come to Safe Harbour from many different backgrounds, which is reflected in our worship: we use music and prayers from a variety of traditional and contemporary sources.
Anyone is welcome to take part in worship, and we provide training so that interested people may lead worship, celebrate communion or preach, as they feel able.
At Safe Harbour we believe that the altar is Christ's table, to which Christ invites all people: it's God who sets the table, not us! Everyone is welcome to join us for communion, and all we ask is that you are seeking, in your own way, to meet with God.
So that everyone can be included, we use non-alcoholic wine. We also offer a short personal blessing for everyone who would like it.
Safe Harbour was founded within the LGBT+ community, but our ministry and worship are open to everyone. While sexuality may be an important reason for why some people first come to Safe Harbour, it is rarely the main reason why they stay. We know what it is like to be excluded, and so we put a high importance on being a safe space for anyone who wishes to take part.
In our services we use language which, like the Gospel, includes all people. Many churches often use words which have reflected society's practices of excluding women and minorities: we try to avoid this. In particular, we describe and refer to God in gender-neutral terms — or, following the example of the Biblical writers, use a mixture of both male and female expressions and images.
When and How We Meet
We are currently taking a sabbatical as a community and are not meeting regularly at present. We expect to return to meeting both online and in person in Exeter later in 2025. Once we return to regular meetings, we'll annouce it here, on our Facebook page and in our email newsletter.
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