Pastor Chester Wenger of Lancaster Pennsylvania is 97 years old and recently had his credentials as a Mennonite minister removed. He is helping to create a new view of marriage for the church denomination he has served for over 65 years. His pastoral credentials were terminated because he chose to perform a marriage ceremony for his son and the partner with whom his son has lived faithfully for nearly three decades. Their marriage became possible when the state of Pennyslvania made same sex marriage legal.
Mr. Wenger has not only written about his decision to officiate at his son’s wedding in the Mennonite media, but also submitted an op-ed piece to the newspaper in his home city of Lancaster. You can read it here.
Awhile ago I wrote about hearing Amelia Curran singing What Will You Be Building When You Have to Go? Since then I’ve been discovering more and more people who are taking the lyrics of her song quite literally. They have not stopped ‘building’ even though they are nearing the end of their life. Chester Wenger certainly hasn’t. He is still busy building a supportive relationship with his son and working to make an institution he loves, more open and accepting.
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