UPDATE: November 19, 2012: I received word from Rev. Bentancourt that the Margaretville Interfaith Council UNANIMOUSLY accepted the membership of Holy Innocents Church into the Margaretville faith community. Equality and fairness has won! Thanks to everyone who made calls and sent e-mails in support of Holy Innocents Church.
An instance of religious bigotry and discrimination has come to my attention that I cannot keep silent about.
The Margaretville Interfaith Council is not allowing membership to Holy Innocents Catholic Church, an Apostolic Catholic Church independent from Papal Authority, primarily because of its acceptance of queer folks and marrying them. The council is concerned that other churches will leave the council if “the gay church” is allowed to join. Holy Innocents Church does a lot of good things in the greater Margaretville area and it’s a real travesty that the Interfaith Council sees fit to discriminate against this church, a fellow Christian Church helping people in need and ministering to them.
Here’s a link to Holy Innocents and check out for yourself what great church they are:
http://www.holyinnocentscacina.org
If you want to help in battling discrimination in this small Delaware County village, contact Francisco J. Betancourt, Co-Pastor, at 845.586.2201. Tell him you heard about his plight from Diversity Rules Magazine and you want to know how you can help!
If you want to express your outrage directly to the Interfaith Council the contact person is, Rev. Richard Dykstra, Secretary/Treasurer. His contact information is as follows:
Rev. Richard Dykstra
PO Box 702
Margaretville, NY 12455
607.326.7101
Demand that the Interfaith Council stop its discrimination of “the gay church” and allow membership into the greater Margaretville Christian community.
As someone who attends Holy Innocents, it is hardly a "gay church". It is a Catholic church which follows most of the same teachings I was brought up with in the Episcopal Church, with the exception that it takes the mandate to love one's neighbor as oneself, seriously, something the Albany Diocese of the Episcopal church has failed to do.
This church welcomes everyone, recognizes that we are all creatures of God, all sinners, and all capable of being saved by the Grace of God.
it's no longer surprises me to find that so called educated Christians don't actually think about what is they've read in the Bible. They blindly follow some fool because it is easier than Thinking. When I find the christian who insists on marrying his brother s widow because it says so in the Bible then I might have some respect.
Don't mess with queer power! I just got off the phone with Francisco, the co-pastor of Holy Innocents Church in Margaretville, NY. He said the Interfaith Council President has been overwhelmed with phone calls and e-mails to the point where he could not get his work done today! I was also informed that for the first time in 13 years, Holy Innocents has been asked to join the rest of the churches at the Interfaith Service this coming Sunday. We won't let up though until we hear that Holy Innocents has been voted in as a full fledged member! But it appears that's what is going to happen at the next meeting of the Council.
He was also told that this was all a "big misunderstanding" and that tabling the motion to accept Holy Innocents as a member of the Interfaith Council was because "they ran out of time." I would imagine they were expecting a big, drawn out discussion.
So hopefully when the council meets prior to Thanksgiving, I can happily report that Holy Innocents has been accepted as a full and equal member of the Margaretville faith community. Stay tuned!