Quad-Cities United Church of Christ (UCC) clergy members interviewed by Quad-Cities Online support a new resolution asking congregations to consider allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, but will not coax those who fill their pews to adopt the policy.
On Independence Day, roughly 80 percent of the representatives on the church’s 884-member General Synod voted to endorse same-sex marriage. The approved resolution calls on the churches of the UCC’s 1.3 million members to consider wedding policies ‘that do not discriminate against couples based on gender.’ It also asks churches to consider supporting legislation granting equal marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples and to work against laws banning gay marriage. UCC churches are autonomous, meaning the General Synod does not create policy.
The group Quad Citians Affirming Diversity had just approached the council to ask its churches to join efforts to welcome gays and lesbians. They decided to join the program.
The Quad Cities consists of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa as well as Moline/East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois.