Holy Union Invitation for Jeanne Barnett and Ellie Charlton
The document, Holy Union Invitation for Jeanne Barnett and Ellie Charlton, offers context to the significance of their union within the United Methodist Church (UMC) and the broader LGBTQ+ community. The invitation provides logistical details about the ceremony, which was held on January 16, 1999, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Sacramento. It situates the union as both a personal celebration of love and a deliberate act of protest against UMC policies prohibiting such ceremonies. The invitation underscores the dual purpose of the holy union: as a sacred expression of Jeanne Barnett and Ellie Charlton’s 15-year relationship and as an act of civil disobedience by participating clergy. It explicitly acknowledges the UMC’s prohibition of same-sex unions and frames the ceremony as a protest against this stance. The presence of clergy officiants, media coverage, and anticipated protestors highlights the event’s broader sociopolitical implications, making it a pivotal moment in the movement for LGBTQ+ inclusion within the church. The document illustrates the intersection of faith, protest, and community in the late 1990s. It serves as a record of the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals and allies within the UMC and the lengths to which advocates went to affirm love and justice. The inclusion of advocacy organizations and explicit acknowledgment of controversy situates this union as a significant event in the broader movement for LGBTQ+ inclusion in religious spaces.
This document is made available for research purposes through the Drew University Methodist Collection.