Editor, the News-Herald:

I believe our United Church of Christ, a part of The Southern Conference, and Synod has overstepped its boundaries now that it has voted to allow same sex marriages in our church buildings.

Our congregation was advised at our last church conference of this vote

by the Synod.

Not only is the Synod attempting to get this abomination to our God accepted by our church, it is sending out

letters to attempt to get our congressmen and senators, and our state lawmakers to allow the constitution

to be changed to allow these same sex marriages, or as they are calling it, a commitment, to be performed in our church buildings and state.

I am 71 years of age, and never in my life have I known a person who would want to become involved in a same sex

marriage. I have never been able to discern by looking at persons whether they are or have been involved in same sex living together.

I know that there are many persons who have been good friends of same sex persons.

I did not know that that relationship constituted a same sex marriage or commitment.

Why can not we just assume that these persons are just friends?

Why must we be exposed to someone who wants to &uot;come out of the closet?&uot;

Why cannot these persons be happy living quietly, and not attempting to cause our youngsters to become sinners as they are?

My Bible tells me that a man should not lay with a man, and a woman must not lay with another woman. This is what I have been taught all of my life.

I have also been taught that &uot;when and I know that all of us have sinned at some time of our life, we need to ask forgiveness from our God.&uot; I have been taught that God will forgive us, and that we are to &uot;go and not sin anymore.&uot;

Why are some of our ministers now attempting to tell us that it is OK?

I believe that we are admonished to &uot;love each other as we love ourselves.&uot;

It is OK to love all people, however, we do not have to nor should we condone their sins.

We all have to answer for our sins, and I believe this type of teaching and acceptance in our churches today is against Christ.

My friends, if you are reading this letter to the editor, please get in touch with your God and ask for guidance as to how we need to address this problem.

I am suggesting that our United Churches of Christ must get out of this Conference/Synod, and return to

our independence as Congregational Christian Churches, and that we pray for all other denominations to have a meeting of the minds, as to who we are going to believe, and worship.

Will it be Jesus Christ, or an Anti-Christ?

Mary Grace Garner-Atkins

Suffolk