Maryland Religious Leaders Support Marriage Equality

We are clergy and religious leaders across Maryland from many
faiths and denominations. We are but a sample of Maryland
clergy who support marriage equality and wish to marry same-
sex couples legally.
We are Baptist, Buddhist, Catholic, Episcopal, Interfaith, Jewish
Conservative, Jewish Reconstructionist, Jewish Reform, Lutheran,
Metropolitan Community Church, Methodist, Presbyterian,
Reformed Church of America, Unitarian Universalist, United
Church of Christ and Unity Fellowship Church.
We are Maryland clergy and religious leaders of many faiths, races,
ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities. We represent
religious institutions that serve Marylanders in every county and
in the District of Columbia. We stand united by a common
dedication to achieving true and lasting peace, justice and equality.
On Wednesday, February 24, 2010, Maryland Attorney General
Doug Gansler released a legal opinion declaring that the state of
Maryland may recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages.
Maryland has long recognized the legal marriages of couples
that marry out of state.
Because this opinion compels state agencies to provide equal
protections to couples with valid licenses, this will ensure that
thousands of Maryland families — many with children — will
be protected. This is the correct result: hardworking Maryland
families should be protected.
We declare that our faith calls us to support marriage equality
for all couples.
Our diverse religious traditions and texts teach us that God is
love. Wherever love is present, God is also present. One of
God’s greatest gifts to us is our human capacity to love one
another. The ability of two people to enter into relationships
and form families of love and care is one expression of this gift.
It is holy and good. We therefore affirm the right of loving
same-gender couples to enter into such relationships on an
equal basis with loving heterosexual couples.
We recognize that there are principled differences on this issue
within the religious community.
We affirm that the state should not require any religious group
to officiate at, or bless, same-gender marriages. However, the
state also should not favor the convictions of one religious
group over another by denying individuals their fundamental
civil right to marry whom they love.
Recognizing that there is heartfelt disagreement on this issue, we
call on the people of Maryland, the Free State to engage in a
respectful and loving dialogue on marriage equality. As religious
leaders, we commit ourselves to such a dialogue and encourage our
colleagues on all sides of this issue to do the same.

Rev. David Carl Olson, First
Unitarian Church of Baltimore
Rev. Larry Leon Brumfield,
Westminster Church of the
Brethren
Rev. Phyllis Hubbell, Unitarian
Universalist
Rev. Bruce G. Swanson (ret.), First
and St. Stephen’s United Church
of Christ
Rev. Arthur Dan Gleckler, Bethesda
United Methodist Church
Rev. Frank Smith, New Church in
Spirit
Rev. Juan A. McCoy, Bethel Christian
Church
Rev. Jill McCrory, Open Door MCC
Rev. Lisa Ward,UU Fellowship of
Harford County
Rev. Darren Phelps,Bethel Christian
Church
Rev. Michael Hydes, New Light MCC
Hagerstown
Shelly M. Mohnkern,Universal Life
Church
David M. Baker, Non-Affiliated
Buddhist
Rabbi Robert Saks,Congregation Bet
Mishpachah
Rabbi Warren Stone, Temple
Emanuel
Rev. Robert A. Renix, Covenant
Baptist Church
Rev. Tom Harris, Govans
Presbyterian Church
Dr. D. Doreion Colter, First
Unitarian Church of Baltimore
Rev. Nancy Webb, Grace United
Methodist Church
Rev. Starlene Joyner Burns, National
Spiritual Science Center
Olivia Cammack, One God One
Thought Center for Better Living
Rev. Robert J. Fagan, CITI Ministries
Rev. Dr. Wayne Schwandt, Metropoltan
Community Church of the
Chesapeake
Rev. Christa Fuller Burns, Faith
Presbyterian Church
Rev.David L.Pollitt, Presbytery of
Baltimore
Rev. Alison Halsey, The First and
Franklin St. Presbyterian Church
Rev. Steven Ostendorf-Snell, United
Church of Christ
Charles R. Butler III, Ecumenicon
Fellowship
Rev. Amanda Poppei, Washington
Ethical Society
Rev. Bruce T. Marshall, Davies
Memorial Unitarian Universalist
Church
Most Rev. Lawrence J. Harms, Christ
the King Pastoral Center
Rev. Cynthia Snavely, Goodloe
Memorial Unitarian Universalist
Congregation
Rev. Daniel R. Hamlin, Greenbelt
Community Church
Tiffiany Mork, American Paganism
Rev. Megan Foley, Sugarloaf
Congregation of Unitarian
Universalists
Rev. James E. Taylor, Mt. Vernon
Place
Rev. Susan Davison Archer, Cedar
Lane Unitarian Universalist
Church
Rev. Clare Petersberger, The Towson
Unitarian Universalist Church
Rev. Roger Scott Powers, Light Street
Presbyterian Church
Rev. James W. Dale, Brown Memorial
Woodbrook Presbtyerian Church
Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton,
Congregation Beit Tikvah
Rev. Mary Gaut, Maryland
Presbyterian Church
Debby Morris, Circle Sanctuary
Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington, Unity
Fellowship Church of Baltimore
Minister Sam Offer, Unity Fellowship
Church of Baltimore
Minister Debora Ruffin, Metropilitan
Community Church of Baltimore
Elder Harris Thomas, Unity
Fellowship Church of Baltimore
Rev. Angela Jones, Metropolitan
Community Church of Baltimore
Rev. Cheryl Alston, Unity Fellowship
Church of Baltimore
Carlos J. Vazquez, Unity of Washington
DC
Preston K. Mears, Jr., Episcopal
Church
Rev. Melissa McDade, Norrisville
United Methodist
Rev Alida DeCoster, Unitarian
Universalist - Washington Office
Rev. Henry N. (Fritz) Williams,
Baltimore Ethical Society
Rev. Elizabeth Lerner Maclay,
Unitarian Universalist Church of
Silver Spring
Rev. Rik Fire, Ecumenicon Fellowship
Rev. Anna-Sara Fire, Ecumenicon
Fellowship
Rev. Andrew Foster Connors, Brown
Memorial Park Avenue
Presbyterian Church
Rev Lawrence Obern, Nomadic
Chantry of the Gramarye
Rev. Dr. Terence Ellen, Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship of Greater
Cumberland
Rev. Cynthia Terry, Chaplain,
Goucher College
Rev. K. L. MacLeod, Universal Life
Church & member of Ecumenicon
Fellowship
Rev. Archene Turner, Cedar Lane
Unitarian Universalist Church
Rev. Heather K. Janules, Cedar Lane
Unitarian Universalist Church
Debra Kolodny, ALEPH: Alliance for
Jewish Renewal
Archbishop Mark Shirilau,
Ecumenical Catholic Church
Cornelia E. Jones, National Spiritual
Science Center
Lloyd Bailey, Unity of Washington
DC
Mary E. Hunt, Sisters Against Sexism
Rev. Dr. Kenneth E. Kovacs,
Catonsville Presbyterian Church
Rev. Kathleen E Corbett-Welch, St.
Luke’s Brighton
Rev. Cheryl L Tatham, North Chevy
Chase Christian Church
Rev. Nancy Wilson, Metropolitan
Community Church
M. E. Fiedler, Interfaith Collaboration
Rev. Marty Kuchma, Westminster,
Maryland
Most Rev. Craig Bergland, The
Universal Anglican Church
Rev. Dr. Richard W. Scott, St. Mary’s
United Church of Christ
Rabbi Gerald Serotta, Shirat
HaNefesh Congregation
Rev. Ronald H. Miller (ret.),
Episcopal Church
Rev. Zuri Nia, National Spiritual
Science Center
Sister Jeannine Gramick, SL,
National Coalition of American
Nuns
Robert L. Davis III, NSSC
Rev. Carolyn L. Roberts, United
Church of Christ of Seneca Valley
Rev. Mark W. Hanna, Roland Park
Presbyterian Church
Rev. Fredric Muir, Unitarian
Universalist Church of Annapolis
Francis DeBernardo, New Ways
Ministry
Rev. Bruce Amon James, Unity of
DC
Sister Hope Bauerlin, Sisters of St
Francis
Rev. Stuart W. Wright, Episcopal
Church
Rev. Jennifer Walters, Krider’s UCC
Lucy Brady, St. Paul’s United Church
of Christ
Rabbi Susan N. Shankman,
Washington Hebrew Congregation
Rev. Diane Teichert, Paint Branch
Unitarian Universalist Church
Rev. Erin Ostendorf-Snell, United
Church of Christ
Rev. Candy Holmes, New Covenant
Metropolitan Community Church
Bishop Darlene Garner, Metropolitan
Community Churches
Rev. Roberta J. Scoville, United
Methodist (ret.)
Rev. John T. Ames, Presbyterian (ret.)
Rev. Lonnie Weinheimer Lee,
National Spiritual Science Center
Rev. Ben H. Smith, Jr., Cathedral of
the Incarnation

Learn more at www.equalitymaryland.org

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