Arkansas Episcopal church supports blessing same-sex unions

An Episcopal church in Fayetteville, Ark., has agreed to support a rite of blessing for gay couples but will wait until at least next summer for national church leaders to meet on the issue before conducting any ceremonies.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church decided September 19 after years of discussion by parishioners and church leaders to approve a resolution adopting a rite of blessing for same-sex couples. With that, St. Paul's became the first among the state's 55 congregations in the Episcopal Church USA to support such a ceremony.

Congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Fayetteville and Little Rock have been offering commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples. Lowell Grisham, St. Paul's rector, said the ceremonies are not marriages but rather recognition and blessing of the relationships.

In Arkansas same-sex marriage is prohibited by statute and state constitutional amendment. The amendment, approved by voters in November, defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Holly Park is one of St. Paul's gay parishioners and was involved in meetings at the church on the resolution. She said she was pleased with the vestry's decision. Park has been with her partner for 12 years and says the rite of blessing would be a meaningful recognition of their relationship. "To have the church say it is blessed would make us part of the community in a way we haven't been before. It would mean a great deal," Park said. "It would make our lives more whole—not between us, because together we are whole, but between the church and community."

In March the Episcopal Church USA's House of Bishops issued a moratorium on such ceremonies until its general convention in June 2006 in Columbus, Ohio. Grisham said St. Paul's congregation will honor the moratorium.

The Reverend Jan Nunley, a spokeswoman for Episcopal Church USA headquarters in New York, said that pastoral rites fall under the jurisdiction of local bishops and that even if the moratorium is lifted, some congregations might choose not to perform the ceremonies. "Some diocesan bishops hold that proper pastoral care for lesbians and gays in their diocese includes such blessings, and others do not, although all of them agreed to the moratorium," she said. "Ultimately, that decision is up to the diocesan bishop."

The resolution passed by St. Paul's states: "The Vestry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church expresses its support for our church's offering of a rite of blessing as a resource for pastoral care for our gay and lesbian members who wish to make a lifelong, loving commitment of mutual fidelity as a couple. By this resolution we communicate our position to our clergy, our Bishop and the [coming] General Convention of the Episcopal Church."

Grisham said the process of reaching a consensus was difficult. "It's been painful for us to bring this up so openly for those who don't want it brought up at all and feel the church is moving in a direction that is wrong and unfaithful," he said. "But for some gay members it has also been painful."

Some gay members were unhappy that the issue was even up for debate, that something as fundamental as recognizing their relationships was cause for discussion. Grisham said some parishioners have visited other churches during the process and some have left the church. (AP)