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)