Shenandoah Valley Friends
Reprinted from: The Washington Post
Saturday, March 14, 1998; Page A16
Jury Acquits Pastor Who Performed Gay Marriage
by Jon Jeter
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The Reverend Jimmy Creech talks with his wife, Chris Weedy, before the worship services Sunday, March 15, at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, NE.
(UMNS photo by Jeff Beiermann) |
The 13 clerics serving as jurors deliberated for nearly three hours before finding the Rev. Jimmy Creech, pastor of Omaha's largest United Methodist church, not guilty of disobeying church doctrine when he performed the covenant ritual last September. Eight of the jurors ruled against Creech, but nine guilty votes were required for a conviction.
The unprecedented two-day trial, held in a church gymnasium here, focused specifically on whether the church's "Social Principles," which since 1996 have said that ministers should not conduct same-sex union ceremonies, are binding. But fundamentally, the trial was viewed as a barometer of the church's willingness to embrace its gay worshipers more fully.
With more than 8.5 million members, the United Methodist Church is the nation's third largest Christian denomination.
Both supporters and opponents said today that the verdict would almost certainly embolden other ministers to preside over same-sex marriage ceremonies.
"We're in the process of growing, and this is a major step for us as a denomination," said an exuberant, tearful Creech after the verdict was announced. "This is going to be a historic litmus test."
Creech, 53, had argued during the trial that he was obligated to carry out the ceremony when two members of his congregation approached him about it. But the church and other critics contend that Creech defied both his oath as an ordained minister and a direct order from his bishop in proceeding with the ceremony.
"This is a sad day for the Methodist church," said one parishioner here who did not want to be identified. "A minister shouldn't be allowed to make up his own rules as he goes along."
When the verdict was announced, Creech's supporters applauded and embraced. Some wept, and others joined hands to sing church hymns.
Opponents sat quietly, shaking their heads in disbelief. Bishop Joel Martinez, head of the Nebraska association of United Methodist churches, said the verdict concluded the church's action against Creech, who has been suspended with pay since November. But he said he would request that church officials clarify the language in the Social Principles.
Casey Karger, one of the jurors, said the central issue in deliberations was whether ministers were bound by those codes. "It wasn't lost on some of us that no one had been prosecuted for disobeying the [Social Principles] in their 90-year history," said Karger.
Lauren Ekdahl, the minister who acted as prosecutor on behalf of the church, said he was disappointed in the verdict. "But there is an up side to all of this," he said. "We're talking about how we deal with people as Christians. Just putting it out there means that something good has to come from all that."
Copyright � 1998 The Washington Post, Inc.
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