Church Forced To Close After Gay Choir Director Forced To Quit

An Indiana church that forced its choir director to quit lost 80 percent of its members as a result. It is now being forced to close.

For six years, Adam Fraley was the choir director for the First United Methodist Church in Alexandria, Indiana. When the church installed a new pastor, Adam’s workload increased extremely. He ended up quitting, because he got the message.

“The pastor that’s currently at the church, doesn’t want to work, or doesn’t feel like he can work with somebody, that is like me,” Fraley told local news station WISH in January, according to the Huffington Post. “I do wonder, if the fact that I am gay, had something to do with the amount of workload I was given, because I did resign from the position.”

Rev. Dan Gangler, director of communication for the Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church, wrote in an email to The Huffington Post that “[t]here is nothing in the discipline of The United Methodist Church that would prevent a gay or lesbian person from being hired to a position in one of its congregations. The United Methodist Church does not permit the ordination of gay and lesbian persons. That is the only ban by the general church.”

After Fraley left, so did a reported 80 percent of the Church’s congregation, in response to his being forced out.

But before they left, they protested. 

In February, as this video shows, congregants one Sunday morning, stood outside their church and protested – by singing.

Then the pastor, according to the video, blocked them from entering to worship. He ultimately relented.

After that pastor left, another pastor was installed, but he refused to allow Fraley to return. 

Now, after losing most of its membership, and the funding that they provided, the First United Methodist Church will close at the end of the year.

 

Image via YouTube
Hat tip: The Advocate