A Methodist pastor who was told to resign from his Michigan church because of his sexuality visited the Bay Area to share his story.
Rev. Benjamin Hutchinson spoke to the Twin Towers Methodist Church in Alameda on Friday and discussed the life-changing moment when he was told to resign because he is gay. He said he has decided to take his story on the road and change minds along the way.
Hutchinson said he was forced to resign from Cassopolis United Methodist Church after he told the bishop about his gay partner. According to the United Methodist Church's guidelines, that makes him unfit to lead.
Since the resignation, Hutchinson has talked to churches around the country and preaching the gospel of inclusivity.
"I still have my faith," he said. "My career had been taken away. A paycheck as I would say."
Hutchinson married his partner days after his dismissal in July and now relies solely on his income. He hopes the issue of sexuality being an issue for ministers withing the Methodist Church is discussed and resolved at the church's general conference.
