Two Isle of Man churches to host same-sex marriages

Fri, 01 Dec 2023

Trinity Methodist Church and Promenade Methodist Church in Douglas have become the first churches on the island to register for same-sex marriages.

Members from both congregations took the initiative to approach their governance team about making their church more inclusive after the 2021 Methodist Conference.

Despite facing hurdles due to local regulations, the churches were determined to make a change. They went on to lead pastoral discussions on the topic for the past few months, and finally, with an overwhelming majority, both churches voted to register their buildings for same-sex marriage.

The churches' leadership team is “thrilled” to have taken this step towards becoming an inclusive church, and they are excited to welcome the LGBTQ+ community to be part of their community.

“Many LGBT people don't go to church as they do not feel welcomed. We wanted to change that, to make ourselves visible and let them know we would love them to be part of our community,” explains Pam Gold, EDI Officer for the district, “We are overjoyed that Trinity and Promenade’s trustees voted for their churches to be inclusive.” 

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