NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: Diocese's vote supports gay couples

By Kimberly Ross
Redding.com
November 11, 2007

A historic, largely symbolic vote supporting blessing rites for same-sex couples was made Saturday during the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California's annual convention, held in Redding this weekend.

By phone, the Rev. James Richardson of Sacramento said the packed room of about 300 members at the Redding Convention Center surprised him by passing the resolution he authored.

"The vote was done by voice, and it was a loud enough yes' that no one asked for a roll call," he said.

Richardson called it "a historic moment" for the Northern California diocese. Though the vote doesn't authorize same-sex blessings in the diocese, it joins 11 similar resolutions that could influence U.S. Episcopal Church leaders to adopt a nationwide change in 2009.

Ken Piercy, a gay member of Sacramento's Trinity Cathedral Church, was one of the diocese members present earlier Saturday.

As a baptized Christian, he said in an interview before the vote that he expects full citizenship in his church, including participation in the blessings that recognize committed relationships.

But not everyone agrees, Piercy knows.

"We have people in the room who oppose this, and I still love them, because I can agree to disagree," he said.

Saturday, the proposed resolution called on the Episcopal Church's convention to develop and authorize same-sex union blessing rites, a step the national church has so far opposed.

However, 11 dioceses nationwide have approved official, written policies allowing the blessing of same-sex relationships, the resolution reads. It calls on Northern California's to state that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are children of God and that the Episcopal Church "should grant them every blessing" other members receive.

Daniel Williamson, senior pastor of St. Johns Church in Roseville, said he's one of those who respectfully opposes gay blessings, while accepting gay members as his brothers and sisters in Christ.

Williamson said his more traditional position against it stems from both the Bible's rejection of homosexuality and because various Anglican archbishops have asked the Episcopal church not to appoint gay clergy members.

Like others, Williamson was interviewed prior to the gathering's afternoon debate.

Richardson, a resident of the diocese temporarily assigned to a Berkeley parish, said the resolution was carefully written to support, but does not sanction, gay marriage or same-sex blessings. It respects the decisions of the diocese's bishop, Barry Beisner, he said.

Beisner declined to comment before the vote, but said that if passed, it still would not change the diocese's practice.

"There is no authority for same-sex blessings, either from the national church or from me. And there won't be until the national church grants it," he said.

The national group doesn't meet to make decisions until 2009. But in the meantime, Richardson argues that its dioceses can encourage support for gay couples through resolutions like the one proposed.

"We are trying to steer a respectful course without doing it by fiat," he said.

Some say the effort fails in that way, though, and think it's the wrong year for the diocese to make a decision that counters the church's world and national leaders.

Richard Yale, rector of St. John's Church in Chico, said, in addition, that members need to lay out the differences between gay marriage, blessings and same sex unions.

"I can see some saying we've talked until we're blue in the face about this, but we need to talk more specifically," said Yale, who declined to say how he would vote. "What we're calling for is unclear."

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