
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 16, 1994                    TAG: 9406160704 
SECTION: FRONT                     PAGE: A1    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY JAMES L. ENG, ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: 940616                                 LENGTH: SEATTLE

GAY COUPLE HIRED AS PASTORS \

{LEAD} A gay couple has been hired as joint pastors by a United Church of Christ congregation determined to practice what it preaches.

The Revs. David Shull and Peter Ilgenfritz, who have been together about eight years, will share an associate pastorship at the 1,200-member University Congregational Church beginning in August. The position of senior pastor is vacant.

{REST} It is believed to be the first time a gay couple has been given a joint pastorship in a major denomination.

Church members voted 474-143 Sunday to hire the couple after hearing the two speak.

``We're an open and affirming church and we should practice what we preach,'' said Alice Oehler, a church member.

``They were the best of 50 candidates the committee looked at,'' said the Rev. Gail Crouch, another associate pastor. ``The fact that they were gay was not a consideration.''

For some members, it was.

``The change is too radical,'' said Charlotte Taylor, who voted against the hiring.

To accept and perhaps convert such members will be a crucial part of their work, Shull and Ilgenfritz said.

``It will be a real ministry of healing,'' Ilgenfritz said.

Shull said the two, who met in 1984 at Yale Divinity School, had applied to roughly 150 churches - some for single pastorships, most for joint pastorship - and got more than 115 rejection letters. The rest never replied.

{KEYWORDS} GAYS HOMOSEXUALS by CNB