GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Pastor Sue Petro, an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Grand Rapids, is living in a different time.
A time when her denomination fully accepts her.
"40 years is a long time, and there's a lot of hurt and a lot of spiritual pain, and a lot of folks who have found themselves without a faith community," said Petro.
Petro is an openly gay pastor at First United Methodist, something which forced her to retire from being a minister
"I formally had to retire in 2014 when I committed to my relationship, and I knew that I would no longer be appointable in the United Methodist Church," said Petro.
She recently returned to the denomination a year ago after her church became more inclusive.
The United Methodist Church held its general conference this week in Charlotte, bringing church leaders together from across the globe.
On Wednesday the organization voted to overturn rules and harmful language that kept LGBTQ clergy out of leadership roles.
On Wednesday at the United Methodist Church's general conference, which brings together church leaders from across the globe, voters in the organization overturned rules and harmful language that kept LGBTQ clergy out of leadership roles.
After that decision was made, cheers and worship songs from supporters rang through the conference halls.
" I think that the important thing from my perspective is that we all approach our faith based on our own interpretations, our own experiences and our own backgrounds informs all of that," said Pastor Steve McCoy, head pastor at First United Methodist.
While Petro has been at the church for around a year, putting her in the church before the historic vote, Pastor Steve says she's been a great asset to the church.
"To have Pastor Sue, come along, and bring her own gifts and graces to the ministry, I mean, the fact that we are able to continue to, to witness by having a clergy person on staff as a part of the LGBTQ community, I think was a bonus," said McCoy.
While a quarter of United Methodist Churches in the U.S. have left the denomination, and more than a hundred in Michigan, the pastors say it's time to move on to continue their ministries.
"I think we acknowledge that there is no one right way to be Christian," said Petro. "Now, there are wrong ways to express. But there's no one right way to be Christian. And there are a space within the family of God. To find our home"
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