Elkins, USA - The congregation of Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church has voted to fire its minister after he wrote a newspaper story supporting homosexuals.
"Gay and lesbian Christians are no different than the rest of us," the Rev. Jeff Falter wrote in a Feb. 26 article in the Inter-Mountain of Elkins. "They deserve full equality in the church and in society, for they are my brothers and sisters, people for whom Christ died."
That passage led members to vote 100-72 last Sunday to request that the Presbytery of West Virginia - the regional governing body - dissolve the church's pastoral relationship with Falter effective next Wednesday.
Presbyterian churches across the country have struggled with what role gay and lesbians should have in the denomination. Last year, the legislative assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) narrowly rejected a measure that would have allowed regional governing bodies to ordain gay clergy and lay officers.