Shawn S. Garvey, senior minister at
First Congregational Church in Orlando, Florida, says he's looking
forward to marrying gay and lesbian couples when a judge's ruling
striking down Florida's ban on gay marriage takes effect on January
6.
“This church has had a long and proud
history of social justice,” Garvey told the Orlando
Sentinel. “This is a natural extension of the church's
history in reaching out to different communities of the Greater
Orlando area. We are absolutely thrilled at the prospect of this
becoming finally legal in a couple of weeks. We are delighted.”
First Congregation is a member of the
Cleveland, Ohio-based United Church of Christ (UCC), which filed the
lawsuit that struck down North Carolina's ban.
“My hope and my prayer is that things
will go smoothly on January 6,” Garvey added. “This is where my
heart is on the issue, because I personally have so many gay and
lesbian friends, and I would love to see them enter into marriage in
all its intrinsic rights as my wife and I were able to.”
State officials, however, continue to
claim that the judge's ruling only applies to one county, which has
led to confusion among clerks.
(Related: 46
Florida clerks say they won't begin issuing marriage licenses to gay
couples on Jan. 6.)