The Rev. Frank Schaefer
The United Methodist Church is one of a handful of mainstream Protestant denominations to still not recognize same-sex marriages. A divided church will debate the question of recognizing same-sex marriage, as well as recognition of openly LGBT clergy, at its 2016 General Conference.
The church may be split on the questions, but that doesn’t mean some clergy haven’t defied church orders anyway, risking their jobs to do what they think is right. One of those folks is the Rev. Frank Schaefer, a Pennsylvania minister who was defrocked for officiating at his son’s same-sex wedding in December 2013.
After he was defrocked, Schaefer continued to speak across the country about the importance of LGBT equality in the church.
Learn about his journey tonight at a free screening of the new documentary An Act of Love at 7 p.m. at Northaven United Methodist Church, 11211 Preston Road. The event is free and open to the public. A brief talk about the movie and Methodist beliefs follows the event.
Locals will recognize some familiar places and places in the documentary, too. A clip from Schaefer’s talk at Cathedral of Hope and an interview with Lambda Weekly, the weekly LGBT radio show co-hosted by David Taffet, appear in the movie.
You can see the trailer and read more about the movie here.
