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So I did meet with her, and it turns out that she’s on the same page as me. She does not support gay marriage and would not perform same-sex ceremonies. However, she explained that the members of the church are divided. In fact, when I arrived to meet with her, there were a group of members meeting in another room in support of gay marriage. So she explained that some members feel as we do, totally against it. Another group is wishy-washy and feel that, while they don’t agree with it, people should be able to do what they want. The other side are the people who support it. So she feels that she has to be careful in what she says from the pulpit so as not to ignite a keg of dynamite.

She knows, though, that ultimately, both she and the denomination are going to have to be clear about what they believe. As it is now in the church, gay people are allowed to serve in leadership roles, which she said she had a problem with, but took the job nonetheless. So it’s a very touchy and difficult problem. I told her that if the leadership decides to affirm gay marriage that I would leave, and she said she may well do the same. Right now she’s open to hearing the arguments of the other side, but has not been convinced yet.

Oh, and as it turns out, the woman I thought was celebrating the SCOTUS decision was not. She was trying to say that it was a historic week, but was not happy about it - she evidently called the pastor to apologize for not being clear about what she was saying. Apparently other people were upset, because the pastor was in the process of answering an email similar to mine when I walked in.

We talked about the way to respond as a Christian, and decided that it has to be in love and respect, but not comprising our beliefs. We’ll see how this all falls out. Clearly, we’re not alone.