I went to my first OSG meeting encouraged by Carole Cull and Anna Thomas Betts but I’d heard of it before my arrival at Synod and even been to a local meeting when I was a curate!

It seemed to me that I was finding a ‘home’ - I had been infuriated by the divisions within the Church of England from the moment I became aware of them - and someone who grows up in a ‘high’ Church and wants to go to Guide Church Parade that’s held regularly in a ‘low’ church learns them quite young!! I’d also stood for Synod partly as a result of the sense that the increasing ‘party’ nature of our church was going to make it into somewhere I didn’t want to minister before I retired -

‘If that’s how you feel,’ remarked my Team Rector, ‘you should stand for General Synod!’

I was actually elected slightly late in a Quinquennium as a result of a vacancy so my first experiece of OSG was a Quiz. This combined with my first London supper with George Nairne-Briggs as a speaker convinced me that the combination of good speakers, listening, fun, food and drink was one that suited me perfectly! Somehow I ended up on the committee (you’re never quite sure how these things happen are you?) It’s the oddest committe I’m on because we live so far away from one another that we meet only at Synod and otherwise by email. Really it survives on the commitment of its officers - I salute you!!

Since I’ve been on the committee we’ve discussed several times whether OSG should become more positively and politically engaged with being a ‘broad, central church group’ and we have always decided that we should stay with our first principles of being open to everyone and providing a place to which anyone can come. I struggled with this especially when I heard names that implied a middle ground position being used for organisations that were clearly not! However the wisdom of providing a great tree under whose branches everyone is welcome seems like ‘Gospel’ wisdom to me.

I think OSG’s biggest struggle at present is to be recognised for what it is - many people regard us as ‘another party group’ and the fact that we manage to meet at the same time as those groups doesn’t help!!!

Sue Booys