The Rev. Cynthia Meyer, a former Georgia resident, said a desire to "live in the light" prompted her to come out as gay recently to her United Methodist Church congregation.
The admission could put the former assistant dean of students at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology at risk of losing her pastoral position at the Edgerton United Methodist Church in Edgerton, Kan.
Meyer is in a four-year-old same-sex relationship.
“Actually, this has felt like a calling for some time now,” said Meyer, 53, who worked at Candler from 1997 to 2009. “The Holy Spirit has been very active in my heart and spirit and I just felt like this was something I needed to do.”
Debate has raged in the United Methodist Church over the issue of homosexuality. According to the 2012 Book of Discipline, homosexuality is "incompatible" with Christian teaching, so "practicing" gays and lesbians "are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers or appointed to serve" in the UMC. The UMC also bars clergy from performing same-sex marriages.
Meyer said she and her partner, Mary Palarino, discussed it and both valued “being able to live fully, openly and honestly.”
If she should lose her credentials as an ordained elder, she said, “we will find a way forward.”
Members of her church, which number about 75 in attendance at a typical Sunday service, were supportive, Meyer said, and many wanted to make sure she will still serve as pastor.
The case is being watched closely within the UMC. Attempts to get a comment from church officials were unsuccessful. The UMC has 12.3 million members worldwide.
In a well-publicized case, the Rev. Frank Schaefer was defrocked in 2013 for officiating his son’s same-sex marriage in 2007. In 2014, he won an appeal with the church’s highest judicial body and was reinstated.
Schaefer, who now pastors a church in California, said he doesn’t know Meyer but has been following her story.
“I applaud her for standing her ground,” he said. “Every time someone comes out or performs a same-sex marriage, it really pushes us forward as a church, even though it may come with sacrifices for that person.”
The UMC is gearing up for its General Conference in May in Portland, Ore., but Schaefer said he thinks there a good chance Meyer won’t face a hearing.
“I think it would really rock the boat, especially after my trial,” he said. “I’m beginning to think my trial was the end of all trials. The church got so much bad publicity and so many organizations and members withdrew their support and membership from the church that they realized this is not something we can do in this day and age anymore.”
The Reconciling Ministries Network is an organization that advances lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender justice and inclusion in the United Methodist Church. In December, the organization launched the It’s Time campaign to enable supporters and allies to reach their delegates directly by sharing their stories and urging the General Conference to reverse the church’s stance on homosexuality.
“She shared her truth about who she is and who she loves with us,” said network Executive Director Matt Berryman, who studied with Meyer at Candler School of Theology. “This just points out in a very compelling way exactly what is at stake for us as human beings and children of God if we can’t be our authentic selves with one another.”
He said Meyer’s decision to come out gives fuel and momentum to the campaign.
“We’re working with her to make sure her story is told in a public way so that the light of God’s goodness can be shown in the dark areas of our church,” Berryman said.
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