Amach le Dia Description and Aims
Origins and Activity
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A group of Christians, mostly LGBTQ+, met on 14th September 2019 in Dublin with the hope of planning meetings for worship and fellowship where LGBTQ+ people could feel at home. The first meeting of ‘Amach le Dia’ was held on Sunday 8th December 2019 in Dublin. ‘Amach le Dia’ is Irish for ‘Out’ and ‘With God’.
The gathering consisted of a service with singing worship songs, prayers, Bible readings, a message and a testimony of lived Christian experience. It was preceded and followed by refreshments and an opportunity to meet others.
There were four monthly meetings until March 2020. As a result of the pandemic, the monthly meetings then went on Zoom. During the broader pandemic the Dublin based meeting met on zoom, had outdoor gatherings and eventually returned to its consistent format of a monthly in-person service. The Dublin group now also hosts a monthly Bible Study on Zoom.
Some interested members towards the west of Ireland began a monthly meeting on Zoom in October 2020, which gradually led to in-person meetings. Amach le Dia (West) holds a meeting each month on Zoom and smaller meet ups in Galway, Limerick and surrounding counties. The West group lead a service and march each at Galway and Limerick Pride.
In each year since 2021 Amach le Dia has led a Sunday morning worship service on RTE1 television. In doing so, it meant that the 2021 broadcast became the first fully LGBT+ inclusive religious service on Irish television.
The Dublin group offer Pastoral Care sessions for those who wish to avail of it. The West offers to travel to meet people in geographically spread-out areas. In addition each week a different member sets aside time to pray for the needs of the community.
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Structure
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Most of the volume of work that Amach le Dia plans is done by the two sub-committees – Dublin and West. Of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of Amach le Dia, one is also the chairperson of Dublin and one of West. The sub-committees plan through arranged meetings, WhatsApp groups or meeting at a monthly event.
There is a Management Committee with representation from Dublin and the West that meets occasionally and communicates consistently through WhatsApp. It consists of the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and elected members.
An Annual General Meeting is held each June to consider the purpose, mission and activity of Amach le Dia as well as elect officers.
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Identity & Mission
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Amach le Dia – LGBTQI+ Christians & Allies
A fully affirming space for worship
A fully embracing fellowship
A recognition of the gifts of LGBT+ people and the opportunity to exercise them An opportunity to share the inclusive gospel that really is good news
Providing an opportunity for those in the LGBTQIA+ community to access religious sacraments
Our expression of faith is within the Christian tradition. Our members come from various religious backgrounds. Many have grown up or remain part of Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. Most have experienced isolation, loneliness, marginalisation or exclusion in other churches and need a space where they can feel at home and where their whole selves are fully valued. Amach le Dia is also a place where Christian allies who, while not queer themselves, are glad of the opportunity to show support. It is a place where Christian allies who object to the lack of inclusion in many main stream churches can share an inclusive space and hear from queer voices.
In our development since 2019, we have recognised the various needs that exist and our growth has been in relation to meeting need, resulting in the wider variety of our ministry.