OMAHA, NE (AP) – A Methodist church in Omaha has decided to defy its larger denomination by condoning same-sex marriages.
The Omaha World-Herald reports the leaders of First United Methodist Church in Omaha recently decided to allow same-sex weddings at the church and allow its pastor to officiate at those ceremonies.
The local church’s decision contrasts with a vote at the United Methodist Church’s general conference. In February the overall United Methodist denomination narrowly supported a ban on gay clergy and on same-sex weddings performed at its churches.
Bishop Rube Saenz leads the Great Plains Methodist Conference. He says he sees no reason to sanction the church unless someone complains.
First United Methodist’s pastor Reverend Kent Little says he plans to treat same-sex marriages the same as any other marriage at the church.
