Episcopal Bishop in Arkansas Gives "Green Light" to Gay Unions

It's always nice to wake up and be able to find some good news out there in the world.

The following excerpts are from the front-page story in today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:

The Episcopal bishop of Arkansas has given the green light to congregations that want to explore offering blessing ceremonies for gay couples and has notified clergymen in the diocese that some congregations are ready to do that.

One of them is St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in west Little Rock, which is to have a blessing ceremony for a couple in September. In addition, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville has invited same sex couples to consider exploring such a ceremony.

“The Episcopal Church continues to be in the forefront of the effort to assure that gay and lesbian persons are made welcome in our churches and are afforded equal treatment by society at-large,” starts the 428-word letter by Arkansas’ bishop, the Right Rev. Larry Maze.

The Rev. Ed Wills of St. Michael’s in Little Rock said a couple has been going through the same counseling process he uses for couples planning marriage. They have a tentative date in September for their blessing service, which would make them the first in Arkansas to have an Episcopal service of blessing.