The United Reform Church voted Saturday to allow same-sex weddings in its churches across the United Kingdom, making it the first in the UK to give LGBTQ couples the option of a church wedding, according to Metro UK.
‘To be able to think that God could be involved in this ceremony for me is just overwhelming,” lesbian Lee Battle, who is training to become a minister, told the BBC. “I remember on my other wedding day….It didn’t feel quite as it should do because there was this big part of me that was missing in the day, and so to be able to include God and have hymns is just for me a huge step forward.”
Recognizing that some churches may not feel ready to start allowing same-sex weddings, the United Reform Church isn’t forcing any of its churches to participate.
The decision to allow gay couples to marry in churches operated by the
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‘Today the URC has made an important decision – at which some will rejoice and with which others will be uncomfortable,” said United Reform Church General Secretary Rev. John Proctor. “This has been a sensitive issue for many in our churches.”
There are about 56,000 URC member in Britain.
