Minister faces church trial for officiating same-sex marriage
About 50 ministers gave their symbolic support to a colleague facing sanctions from the United Methodist Church by participating in a same-sex wedding.
The wedding Saturday in Philadelphia was held about a week before the Reverend Frank Schaefer of Lebanon, about 90 miles to the west, will face a church trial for officiating over his son's marriage to another man.
The clergy filled the front of the Arch Street United Methodist Church, blessing the marriage in defiance of church law, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The closest rested their hands on the couple, Bill Gatewood and Rick Taylor. The others placed their palms on other clergy. "Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder," they said in unison....