A leading UK network of Anglicans working for the full inclusion of lesbian and gay people in the life and ministry of the church has welcomed the US Episcopal Church's affirming stance.

A paper published today suggests that under the laws of the Church of England clergy have far greater liberty in relationship to services following civil partnerships than has previously been thought.

The first Inclusive Church conference opened at the Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire today (Thursday) with an attack on the damage done by the growing tendency to exclude, within the Anglican church.

Contrary to the popular media image, many evangelicals are not anti-gay, says a UK campaigning network which draws hundreds of evangelical Christians and their friends together. This week they are backing the launch of a church education initiative on Jesus and prejudice.

The Anglican Archbishop of Mexico, the Most Rev Carlos Touche-Porter, is to be Patron of the movement Inclusive Church.

For the past 48 hours the websites, newsgroups and email lists of Anglicans across the world have been abuzz with analysis, argument and counter-argument concerning the outcome of the Anglican Primates (heads of provinces) meeting in Tanzania, which ended earlier this week.

Amid confusion about who will play a role at the global Anglican Primates meeting in Tanzania this week ‚Ä' with reports that even the evangelical Dr John Sentamu is unacceptable to hardliners gathered around Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola ‚Ä' a UK-based broad church organization has declared ‚ÄúEnough is Enough‚Äù.

The Church of England's governing body, its General Synod of lay people, clergy and bishops, will be asked to support a resolution recognising both sides in the current global debate on human sexuality when it meets later this month.

The Anglican-founded InclusiveChurch network has said that a broad based Church of England should not allow itself to be "held to ransom" by a number of mainly conservative evangelical parishes who are reportedly intending to set up an alternative episcopal jurisdiction using retired bishops to provide their own, separate ministry within the Church