Ouster of Homosexual Pastor Sought
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The appointment of the Presbyterian Church’s first openly homosexual pastor is being challenged by a group of upstate New York churches.
The Rev. Jane Spahr, who runs a ministry serving homosexuals and people with AIDS in San Francisco, was affirmed this week as co-pastor of the Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester.
The position is effective April 1.
Nine Presbyterian churches have filed a complaint with the denomination’s Northeast Synod, saying Spahr’s selection violates church regulations.
The 49-year-old Spahr was ordained in 1974 and served as a pastor in several Pennsylvania and California churches before she acknowledged in 1978 that she is a lesbian.
She was offered the Rochester post in November.
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