About 12 hours after the selection process began, a United Methodist jury found Rev. Frank Schaefer of officiating the 2007 wedding of his gay son, violating church law and possibly costing him his clergy credentials. Although Ref. Schaefer could have avoided the trial by agreeing to never again perform a same-sex wedding, he refused because three of his children are gay. His son, the now 29-year-old Tim Schaefer said, “I remember thinking I have two choices: I can ask my dad and know I am putting him in a position … where he would risk his career, or I could not ask my dad and really risk hurting his feelings. I think he would have been devastated if I hadn’t asked him.” Rev. Schaefer said that he had informed his superiors of his intentions to carry out the wedding and although he was aware he was breaking the Methodist Book of Discipline, he believed he was “obeying God’s command to minister to everyone” …
