Sparked by the approaching vote on a proposed amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage, three Lawrence congregations have gone on record opposing the controversial measure.

Within days of each other, Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence, Lawrence Jewish Community Center and Oread Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) individually drafted, approved and announced formal rejections of the amendment and a strict definition of marriage as a civil contract between only a man and a woman.

And on Friday, 50 members of the clergy from across Kansas released a letter of opposition to the amendment and called on their fellow clergy to join them in signing the letter and speaking out against the proposal.

“How dare any person of faith discriminate against any of God’s own?” said the Rev. Bob Meneilly, retired pastor of Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village.

Members of these congregations said they viewed taking a position on the upcoming vote as an opportunity to live out a vision of their faith that is unconditionally loving, compassionate and inclusive.

They also cast the debate over the amendment as an issue not so much of biblically based morality as one of tolerance, justice and civil rights.

“I think it was a no-brainer for us. Our congregation and most branches of Judaism are longtime supporters of civil rights and social justice issues,” said Stephen Hurst, the Jewish center’s president.

“We see this (statement) as an opportunity to meet our responsibility to get the word out that not everyone’s falling in line with this amendment.”

The Jewish center’s board unanimously approved the statement — drafted in February by the center’s social action committee — at a March 13 meeting.

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Also March 13, members present for a meeting at the Unitarian Fellowship voted unanimously to support a resolution opposing the marriage amendment, which goes before Kansas voters April 5.

“This (resolution) is a position that is so consistent with Unitarian beliefs. It was just a matter of going to work on it and framing something that could be presented to the members of the fellowship, discussed and adopted,” said Forrest Swall, chairman of the fellowship and a former state legislator from Lawrence.

Oread Friends Meeting presented a statement Tuesday opposing the constitutional amendment and affirming a belief that committed relationships between adults of the same or opposite sex should be equally recognized and supported.

The resolution has the unanimous support of the membership, according to Harold Washington, clerk of the meeting.

“It’s definitely the fact that the constitutional amendment is before the people of the state of Kansas — that’s what drove us to want to make the statement,” said Washington, a professor of the Hebrew Bible at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo.

“It’s very important for those voting (April 5) to know that there’s a really strong voice among people of faith for an affirmative view of same-sex marriage and against a restrictive constitutional amendment.”

Members of the faith communities that voted to adopt the various resolutions expressed support for the move.

“Certainly churches should be examples of people who love each other unconditionally. If this isn’t the message, then there is no message,” said Janney Burgess, who serves on the Unitarian fellowship’s social concerns committee that launched the creation of a statement opposing the amendment.

“There’s little enough love in the world as it is. If they (gays and lesbians) find their partnership and their love interest in someone who is a little bit out of the mainstream for most of us, they should be congratulated, instead of condemned.”

Burgess, 83, has a granddaughter who is a lesbian and has a female partner.

Four commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples have been celebrated at the Unitarian Fellowship since 1990, according to Swall.

The most recent one was March 19, when he officiated a ceremony for two Lawrence men. One of Swall’s daughters and her partner had a commitment ceremony at the Unitarian Fellowship in 1995.

Michael Silverman, a board member of the Jewish center, welcomed the board’s approval of a formal statement opposing the marriage amendment.

“This statement is a true example of the Jewish people standing up for what’s just and right. It really exemplifies the best of the Jewish faith,” said Silverman, who with his partner, David Greenbaum, had a commitment ceremony in 1999 at an Omaha, Neb., synagogue.

“I think it’s always important for Jews to speak up when injustice is happening. I would hope that maybe it (the statement) will cause some people to think twice (before voting on the amendment),” Silverman said.

“Even if it doesn’t, standing up for the right thing is its own reward.”

Releasing joint statement

News of the actions taken by the Unitarian Fellowship, Oread Friends Meeting and the Jewish center has had a ripple effect.

Three pastors of other Lawrence congregations are formulating a statement opposing the amendment, which they plan to release to the public before the vote.

They are: The Rev. Peter Luckey, senior pastor, Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt.; the Rev. Gary Teske, lead pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church, 1245 N.H.; and the Rev. Ray Fancher, interim senior pastor, First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway.

Luckey said the three pastors met this week to talk about writing and releasing a joint statement about their position on the amendment.

The pastors will be speaking only for themselves, not for their congregations as a whole, he said.

In April 2004, a majority of Plymouth’s 1,200 members voted to officially become an “open and affirming” congregation, welcoming gays and lesbians into the full life and leadership of the church.

However, Plymouth’s membership has not taken a public position on the amendment, Luckey said.

Standing up for Bible

Not everyone in Lawrence’s wider faith community agrees with the official positions taken by the three congregations.

“We have gone on record that we’re very much in favor of this amendment. I’ve told the church that they need to get out and vote April 5. I’ve also made sure that the (yard) signs are available if they want to have them,” said the Rev. Scott Hanks, senior pastor of Heritage Baptist Church, 1781 E. 800 Road.

Hanks rejected the contention that allowing same-sex marriage is an issue of equal rights, basing his opposition to the amendment on Scripture.

“Our culture is supposed to match the Bible; our culture is not supposed to change the Bible. God determined what a marriage is, why should we change it?” he said.

But Hanks supported the right of any congregation to adopt a public stance on important issues — especially the marriage amendment.

“It’s something that every church ought to be taking a stand on to voice their opinion concerning this biblical issue. Any church that’s not standing up for that amendment is really standing against the Bible,” he said.

The Rev. Paul Gray said that his congregation, Heartland Community Church, 619 Vt., has not taken any formal position on the marriage amendment.

“We have people at Heartland who have definite views on issues like this. But we, as a church, do not want these issues to get in the way of people experiencing God’s love and grace,” he said.

Gray said he personally would like to see Kansas voters approve the amendment.

Hanks said he didn’t think the positions taken by the three Lawrence congregations represent an accurate picture of public opinion.

“It’s significant for Lawrence but not for the state,” he said. “Lawrence is probably one of the most liberal towns in Kansas, but that’s not the voice of Kansas. This is a conservative state.”