DATE SET FOR LESBIAN MINISTER’S APPEAL

A call has been made for LGBT people to show support for the lesbian Methodist minister who has been suspended for marrying her partner.

According to her Facebook support group, Ecclesia de Lange’s appeal again her suspension will be heard on Friday the 29th of January at 10am at the Bedfordview Methodist Church in Johannesburg.

Her supporters have called for “a large group to gather outside the Bedfordview venue for an hour in a dignified and peaceful manner to show their support for Ecclesia”.

They asked that people attending the event wear black or dark clothes with a rainbow flag or a pink triangle on their lapels. Prayer vigils are also being planned to take place at other locations around the country.

“Continue to hold Ecclesia and Amanda in your thoughts and in your prayers. With your love and support we are confident that Ecclesia’s appeal on the 29th will be successful,” said the Facebook group’s creator, Andrew Treu.

De Lange’s suspension was upheld earlier this month following a disciplinary hearing that found her guilty of “failing to observe the provisions of the Laws and Disciplines and all other policies, decisions, practices and usages of the Church…”

De Lange was first suspended when she announced the news of her marriage to her wife Amanda to her Cape Town congregation. The Methodist Church of Southern Africa does not recognise same sex marriages.