OUR OUTREACH
Gay weddings, blessings and commitment ceremonies are one of the things that cause
people to look at websites like this. However the question of the church's mission is what lies at the
heart of the matter.
Jesus Christ came into this world, as he so often stated, to call sinners
- to reach out into the darkness of hearts and draw ALL towards the light and love of God who created
us all so that he might love us and make us sharers in His divine perfection and happiness.
THERE
IS NO SOUL ON THIS EARTH, IN THE PAST, NOW OR IN THE FUTURE, WHO IS EXCLUDED FROM THAT LOVING CALL.
It is on the basis of that one sentence that this church welcomes all human beings into its embrace,
be they male or female; black white, yellow or red; single, married or divorced; rich or poor; noble
or common; gay, lesbian or transgendered; old or young; sinner or saint.
MARRIAGE AND SEXUALITY
When it comes to the celebration of the commitment between two people, of whatever gender, we hold
and affirm that sexual orientation is part of the divine gift of life and individuality. Love between
persons of the same gender therefore has to be respected and affirmed as being as real and valid as that
between persons of different gender.
Whilst we accept that the ideal is for couples to achieve
Jesus' own standard of perfection we also understand that in marriage, as in other aspects of life, people
make mistakes. Why then should marriage be treated differently? Why should a person who makes a mistake
not be forgiven and given a second chance? We hold, as do the Eastern Orthodox, that a second, and even
third marriage is possible where true repentance of the prior error exists. Human weakness needs to be
supported and strengthened, not simply punished by perpetuating a painful situation. In this we presume
and expect that all every reasonable effort has been made to achieve reconciliation and therefore all
possible effort made to live up to Jesus' counsel of perfection, which makes the ideal of marriage an
indissoluble life-long commitment.
Again we state that our belief holds true for same gender couples
as well as mixed. If you intend to commit to someone it should be for life and exclusive.
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