Defrocked Methodist pastor appealing punishment
http://news.yahoo.com/defrocked-methodist-pastor-appealing-punishment-140023459.html
Defrocked by the United Methodist Church six months ago for officiating his son's same-sex wedding, Schaefer has gained a following among reformers who want the nation's second-largest Protestant denomination to loosen its policies on homosexuality.
He's told his story dozens of times to largely sympathetic audiences around the country: How his son came out to him as a teenager who had contemplated suicide. How he hid the 2007 wedding from his conservative Pennsylvania congregation, fearing it would sow division. How he finally decided in the midst of his high-profile church trial last fall to become an outspoken advocate for gay rights at a time when his denomination is bitterly divided over the issue.
After his trial and conviction, "I thought I had lost everything," recalled Schaefer, 52. "There was a moment of pain and depression and the next thing I knew, I was catapulted . I have more opportunities now than I ever did."...
"I would like to get my credentials back," said Schaefer, who will appear before a church panel in Baltimore this week to argue that his punishment was illegal under church law. "I'm hoping for a 're-frocking.'"
"largely sympathetic audiences around the country". Guess those Methodists aren't so bad after all.