There was no clapping or cheering after the United Church of Christ’s rule-making body approved a resolution endorsing same-sex marriage, said the Rev. Peter Luckey.

Luckey, a pastor at Lawrence’s Plymouth Congregational Church, served as a representative on the church’s 884-member General Synod, which voted to approve the resolution Monday.

“The decision was made today with a lot of prayer,” Luckey said. “There was a moment of silence before the vote was taken. During that time, you could here a pin drop. When we took the vote, it was taken with a sense of real reverence. I am proud to be part of a church that is taking a stand and is willing to say to society that this is where we are.”

The resolution honors and respects the dignity of marriage, said Luckey, who voted in favor of the resolution. But he said it extended the privilege of the act to same-sex couples.

However, Luckey noted that Kansas residents passed a state constitutional amendment in April that prevents the possibility of same-sex marriages, which already were illegal before the amendment.

“I was part of a group of pastors opposing the constitutional amendment,” he said. “But I have no intention at this point of defying the law.”

Luckey said he didn’t know if his congregation would accept the resolution. But he noted that Plymouth was an open and affirming congregation accepting and welcoming of all people.

The Rev. Lisa Gardner, pastor of Eudora’s St. Paul United Church of Christ, said it would be up to the church’s council to make a decision on the resolution.

“As a pastor, I would have no problem with it,” she said. “But I cannot speak on behalf of my entire congregation. I think every single person sitting in the pews has a different thought or idea on this matter.”

St. John’s United Church of Christ, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, was contacted on Monday about the same-sex marriage resolution. No one was readily available for comment.

It was suggested that the vote on same-sex marriage could cause a split in the United Church of Christ and lead to the overall organization’s collapse.

Gardner said she didn’t think that would happen.

“We all have differing opinions on a variety of topics,” Gardner said. “But when it comes to faith and worshiping God, that’s something we can all agree on.”