VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Supporting gay marriage has cost a DeLand church its place of worship, the church’s pastor said Thursday.
The United Church of Christ has held services at the chapel of Allen-Summerhill Funeral Home in DeLand, rent free, for the past year.
But the Rev. Karen Curtis-Weakley told WFTV reporter Blaine Tolison that the church was recently informed by the owner of the funeral home that it has 30 days to find another location.
"Some of their clients saw that we supported marriage equality and they pulled their business, so Allen-Summerhill called us and said I'm sorry, but you need to find new space,’’ Curtis-Weakley said.
The owner of the funeral home, who did not want to be identified or talk on camera, told Tolison that the decision was based on putting his business first – not about making a statement on gay marriage.
Curtis-Weakley said her church isn’t backing away from its support of gay marriage, which it demonstrated during Volusia County’s recent adoption of a new domestic partner registry.
Church members made signs, banners and spoke out in support of the registry, which was reported on television and in local newspapers.
"You know we are a growing church and no press is bad press," Curtis-Weakley said.
But the unintended consequence was that some customers complained to the funeral home, which informed the church that it had to leave.
"I'm sad that somebody's hate and intolerance and judgments would cause [the funeral home] to lose business," Curtis-Weakley said.
WFTV
