Taking a stand on marriage

Many religious groups, businesses and even the Supreme Court have recently declared their stance on same-sex marriages. The pastors of The Jay County Ministerial Association that have signed below want to be on record that we stand together in our understanding of God’s design for marriage.

We believe that:

•The Holy Scriptures are the authority concerning marriage and divorce.

•Monogamy (the union of one man with one woman) is God’s plan for marriage. The first book of the Bible tells that God created man and then completed the human race when he made woman and made them a couple (Genesis 1:26; 2:21-24).

•Marriage is a lifelong relationship and a covenant union made in the sight of God, taking priority over all other human relationships.

•Human sexuality is to be expressed only within the monogamous, heterosexual framework of marriage.

•Marriage is divinely designed for the birth and rearing of children. The optimal environment for raising a child is one in which the child’s mother and father are married to each other.

Like Christ, we agree to pray with, counsel and love any individual practicing any lifestyle. However, we will not support any judicial ruling or action by any group that tries to undermine the traditional union of marriage by promoting bills or bylaws that tend to aid or legalize same-sex marriages or unions.

We desire a strong community characterized by biblical living such as honesty, health, respect, reverence, safety and service in our homes and in our workplaces. We believe that the God-ordained union of a man and woman is the foundation that produces the most stable environment for the family and the community.

The Pastors of the Jay County Ministerial Association — Terry Bye, New Covenant Church; Kevin Culy, Vineyard Fellowship; Roger Domingo, Trinity United Methodist Church; Kyle Duncan, First Baptist; Jonathan Fightmaster, Union Chapel Church (Bryant); Fred Grenier, First Church of the Nazarene, Portland; Hugh Kelly, Fellowship Baptist; John Moyer, Faith Evangelical; Gary Phillips, Blaine, Center and New Mt. Pleasant United Methodist churches; Paul VanCise, Bryant Wesleyan Church; and Wayne Ward, Cornerstone Baptist.

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