Dumbarton celebrates marriage equality in Washington, DC

by Ann Thompson Cook

As DC’s law granting marriage equality goes into effect today, Dumbarton UMC is ready. We’ve publicly welcomed LGBT people and their families since 1987, and we’re not about to close our doors, much less our hearts and minds.

Thirteen active and retired clergy who affiliate with Dumbarton have discerned their call to bless committed love wherever it is found, and the congregation fully supports them in that expression. The church council approved a strong statement* that ends with this paragraph:

Today we affirm that God’s grace is open to all, and we witness to that grace through our commitment to justice and equality in our congregation, the District of Columbia, the United Methodist Church, and the world. We will honor and celebrate the wedding of any couple, licensed in the District of Columbia, who seek to commit their lives to one another in marriage. 

On February 14, at our annual celebration of being a Reconciling Congregation, one member after another filed to the front to sign their agreement. 

Our new statement updates a statement we created nearly 20 years ago on holy unions. Then, as now, we deplored legal and church condemnations of same-sex committed relationships and declared that we would treat all couples equally. 

At that time, when our bishop read of our intentions in a Washington Post article, he was furious and called the entire church council into his office. Of all the things that were said that day, I will never forget him saying this: Same-sex marriage isn’t recognized in civil law! You can’t participate in something that’s not recognized in civil law!  

Well, today—in the District of Columbia—same-sex marriage is recognized in civil law, and we celebrate this new step on the long road to full justice and equality for all.

*See the full statement here.

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Ann Thompson Cook directs Many Voices, which later this year will launch an online, ecumenical clearinghouse of worship and educational resources for the welcoming movement. Her books on sexual orientation and gender diversity—And God Loves Each One, Dios nos ama por iqual, and Made in God’s Image—are distributed by eight national organizations including RMN.