North Carolina church stops weddings until same-sex marriage is legal

POSTED: Monday, March 18, 2013, 2:40 PM

Mike Bertha

The Iowa Supreme Court's consideration of a gay marriage bill rallied activists on both sides of the issue. (Liz Martin/AP/The Gazette)

A Methodist church in North Carolina has announced that it will not host any weddings until same-sex marriage is legalized. Green Street United Methodist Church posted an official announcement to its website.

The church has asked ministers not to perform any weddings there until same-sex couples have been granted equal rights to do so.

The Rev. Kelly Carpenter told WFMY News 2 that ministers at the church will be asked to refrain from performing weddings for any couple inside the sanctuary.

“We are asking our ministers not to perform sacraments of marriage, as far as the wedding vows, wedding rings, and the announcement of the marriage in the sanctuary until the United Methodist Church says it is equitable or same sex couples can get married in the church,” Tim Sturgis, a congregation member, told 88.5 WFDD.

North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in May of last year. [Huffington Post]

8 comments

Comments (8)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:00 PM, 03/18/2013

zzz

— Joyce Lesby.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:32 PM, 03/18/2013

who cares?

— USAFirst1

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:47 PM, 03/18/2013

Fantastic. A church actually acting on the words Christ uttered about homosexuality - " ". Much better than the hateful little vermin who make up all kinds of **** the guy never said.

— CiceroSpuriousDeodatusTheSecond

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:44 PM, 03/18/2013

Cicero, Obviously, you haven't read or studied the bible. Still, for this church to stop heterosexual unions based on the legalization of homosexual unions is not biblical. This is what causes people "to burn" and to sin. So, couples will go to another church. Perhaps this is better.

— ptahan

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:56 AM, 03/19/2013

Similar to a prisoners hunger strike. Who cares?

— Wiseman6

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:26 AM, 03/19/2013

Apparently, the reporter didn't bother to read the church's announcement, which states that its policy is in response to the United Methodist Church's policy of not allowing same-sex marriage. The Green Street congregation's statement doesn't blame the NC law for its policy.

— Manny Yunker