Minnesota pastor may lose church because he supports gay rights
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota pastor who watched most of his congregation leave after he voiced his support for gay marriage is now at risk of losing his church, unless he can collect enough donations to keep the doors open.
The Rev. Oliver White, 69, runs Grace Community United Church of Christ. He needs to raise $200,000 by June 30 to pay off a loan the St. Paul church took out in 2007.
While the odds are steep, supporters from around the country have taken up his cause. Most of White’s fundraising efforts have entailed asking supporters to each mail in $1, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. As of last week he had raised $13,000, he said.
“I haven’t allowed any of this to make me stop, because I feel that I have to continue in this journey,” White said. “But it’s also a monumental task.”
A black leader at the helm of a predominantly black church, White — who marched for racial equality during the Civil Rights era — faced pushback from his own community after he stood up for gay rights in 2005.
More: http://www.syracuse.com/have-you-heard/index.ssf/2012/05/minnesota_pastor_may_lose_chur.html
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