The Episcopal Bishop of California (Bay Area parishes) just released the following Pastoral Letter on Gay Marriage

Translation:
Since the Church has no rite for marrying Adam and Steve, it will no
longer marry Adam and Eve in the Diocese of California


xoxoxo

The Bishop of California



ruh roh

Pastoral Letter from our Bishop Regarding Same-sex Marriage


June 9, 2008


Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,


I welcome the ruling of the California Supreme Court affirming the
fundamental right of all people to marry. I am writing to you now to
recommend a path to use this decision to strengthen our support of our
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered sisters and brothers, and our
continued witness to God’s inclusive love.


Clergy and lay leaders in the diocese have been working for the
rights of LGBT people and for their full inclusion in our Church for
more than forty years. Today, we continue to walk a journey that
includes:


• Bringing the witness of our LGBT sisters and brothers to this summer’s Lambeth Conference,

• Combating a ballot initiative this November that will attempt to
take away the rights recently recognized by the California Supreme
Court,
• Providing leadership at next summer's General Convention to
bring our marriage practices and theology in line with our fundamental
baptismal theology.

For far too long the onus has fallen on marginalized people to bear
the burden of inequalities that exist within the Church, and the
decision by our state’s Supreme Court has given us the opportunity to
level the playing field.


To that end, the Diocese of California seeks to provide, by
advocacy and example, a way forward for The Episcopal Church so that
the marriage of same-sex couples will be a part of our official
marriage rites, without distinction. Although The Episcopal Church does
not have canonical rites for same-sex marriage, it is our goal that all
couples be treated equally by the Church, as they are equally loved by
God.


I therefore provide you with the following pastoral guidelines:

29060. jexster - 6/13/2008 3:46:24 AM



• I urge you to encourage all couples, regardless of orientation,
to follow the pattern of first being married in a secular service and
then being blessed in the Episcopal Church. I will publicly urge all
couples to follow this pattern.
• For now, the three rites approved for trial use under the
pastoral direction of the bishop, adopted by resolution at the 2007
Diocesan Convention (see appendix), should be commended to all couples
(again, regardless of orientation) to bless secular marriages.
• All marriages should be performed by someone in one of the
secular categories set forth in California Family Code, section 400
(see appendix), noting that any person in the state of California can
be deputized to perform civil marriages. The proper sphere for
Episcopal clergy is the blessing portion of the marriage.
• The understanding of The Episcopal Church currently is that
blessings are an extension of the pastoral office of the bishop. I ask
that you continue to inform me of all same-sex blessings.
• Couples who have been married under the auspices of the
California Supreme Court ruling must have the same pre-marriage
counseling as that required of any couple seeking marriage or blessing
of marriage in The Episcopal Church. This should be understood as an
offering of the Church’s support for marriage.
• I urge Episcopalians, clergy and lay, to volunteer as Deputy
Marriage Commissioners. There are over 4,000 civil same-sex marriages
planned in a short period of time in the city of San Francisco alone
and the city is asking for help in meeting demand. I intend to
volunteer for this at my earliest opportunity. This would be one sign
of affirmation for the Supreme Court ruling from our diocese. By city
requirement, clergy will not be allowed to wear collars when presiding
at secular marriages. (For more information about how to be deputized,
see the attached appendix.)
• All people receiving blessings of civil marriages in the
Diocese of California are free to use the same degree of publicity
(e.g., newspaper notices).

29061. jexster - 6/13/2008 3:47:18 AM



These are interim measures as the Diocese of California and The
Episcopal Church continue our journey in the context of this prophetic
opportunity provided by the California Supreme Court’s ruling. I have
already initiated a process to arrive at a more studied, permanent
answer for Episcopal clergy presiding at same-sex marriages in this
diocese. That process includes the formation of a panel of diocesan
clergy to make recommendations about how to move toward equality of
marriage rites for all people. These recommendations will be discussed
across the diocese resulting in an official diocesan policy.



In the coming days, I will publicly state my opposition to the
initiative to overturn the Supreme Court ruling. The Diocese of
California will publish advertising around June 17 celebrating the
Supreme Court ruling and inviting same-sex couples to our churches for
pre-marital counseling and nourishment in communities of faith.



As always, I welcome your wisdom, your insights and your input on
these matters, and I continue in my commitment to work for a Church
that sees all of God’s children through the same eyes that God does.

Peace,

The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus

Bishop