Michigan Churches End Homeless Services Over LGBT Rights

Three Kalamazoo churches will stop providing meals to the homeless because of the city's recent approval of a law protecting gays from discrimination.

Martha’s Table, through which eight churches have provided Sunday afternoon worship and meals for the needy at First Congregational Church, is losing three of the churches because of the issue of homosexuality, even though the ecumenical ministry takes no position on it, said the Rev. Matt Laney, pastor of First Congregational. “The founding principle of Martha’s Table was that churches would come together and put aside their differences in light of what unites us, which is our common commitment to serve Christ and others,” Laney said. “But now this difference has risen above our common commitment to serving Christ.” Laney said representatives of all three churches have been “very clear” that they don’t want to be “guilty by association” with First Congregational and its inclusiveness of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, said Laney, who publicly supported an ordinance passed by Kalamazoo voters in November that protects GLBT people from discrimination in housing, jobs and accommodations.

The man who created Martha's Table and whose restaurant provides most of the meals refused to comment on his withdrawal, saying, "“I would just as soon let it go. We are just pulling out. That’s all. We would just as soon take a position of silence.”

(Via - Box Turtle Bulletin)