Pittsburgh Minister Not Guilty In Lesbian Wedding Trial

Church Trial Held For Woman Who Presided Over Gay Marriage

POSTED: 9:18 am EDT October 1, 2008
UPDATED: 7:37 pm EDT October 2, 2008

PITTSBURGH -- A minister who has served in the Pittsburgh Presbytery for 30 years will not have her ordination revoked for presiding at a lesbian wedding.

The Rev. Janet Edwards was found not guilty Thursday afternoon after a church trial at the Grand Hall at the Priory on the city's North Side.

After hearing from five witnesses over two days, the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Pittsburgh Presbytery ruled there was insufficient evidence that Edwards intended Brenda Cole and Nancy McConn's union to be a marriage or that she believed it would be.

The PIC also found no evidence that Edwards held herself as a minister of the Presbyterian Church at the time she performed the ceremony.

"Our wedding day was the happiest day of my life, and I'm so grateful Janet was courageous and compassionate enough to share that day with us," McConn said.

"It was a transforming experience for us," Cole said.

The outcome of the church trial may someday help other similar couples by opening up discussions about same-sex marriage, Edwards said.

"Scripture has taught me that the heart of marriage is the love and commitment between the partners," Edwards said. "The testimony for me confirmed that, and experience as a pastor and as a person has shown me that two men or two women can show all the qualities of marriage."

Her decision to perform the ceremony came after prayer, discussion and an introspective look at herself and what she stands for.

"My ministry has been one of reconciliation," Edwards said.

Although the ceremony was not a marriage in the eyes of the church or the law, it represented a true commitment in every way for Cole, McConn and Edwards.

"I know that there are those in the church who disagree with my presiding at the wedding of Nancy and Brenda," Edwards said. "I am glad that we are all allowed to have the space we all need to respond to God's calling."

Edwards was first tried in 2006 for officiating at a wedding of two women. The case was dismissed because charges were filed after a deadline set by the church court, but charges were refiled and a second trial was held.

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