23/11/2022
The broadly progressive Christian denomination, the United Reformed Church in the UK have been praised by many LGBTQIA people this week after the Metro newspaper reported that a gay male couple, both of them Christians, who wished to have a traditional church wedding service, were granted their wish by the URC in Wanstead in East London. Shane Yerrell, 39, and David Sparrey, 30, got hitched last month. Both men had been turned down by many Church of England venues because of the C of E’s rules about conducting samesex marriage ceremonies. But the United Reform Church is not bound by the same rules. Both men were given away by their mothers in the service, which saw a traditional style service. More than one hundred people attended and celebrated with them on their big day. The URC is a denomination with a strong liberal and progressive tradition on issues such as environment, sexuality, gender and peace.
