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RELIGION

Mississippi church a window into national gay rights debate

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    In this April 9, 2016 photo, senior pastor Warren Coile, of St. Mark's United Methodist Church poses for a photo in Brandon, Miss. Coile believes that the diversity of any church can be a strength-even if there are honest, passionate disagreements about strongly-held beliefs. Among the church's members are a same sex couple and their daughter, who often attend the same services as does Mississippi's Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who recently signed House Bill 1523, legislation that will allow government workers, religious groups and some private businesses to cite deeply held religious beliefs to deny services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) (The Associated Press)

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    In this April 9, 2016 photo, senior pastor Warren Coile, of St. Mark's United Methodist Church is seen in Brandon, Miss. Coile believes that the diversity of any church can be a strength-even if there are honest, passionate disagreements about strongly-held beliefs. Among the church's members are a same sex couple and their daughter, who often attend the same services as does Mississippi's Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who recently signed House Bill 1523, legislation that will allow government workers, religious groups and some private businesses to cite deeply held religious beliefs to deny services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) (The Associated Press)

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    In this April 9, 2016 photo, Jan Smith, left, and her partner Donna Phillips sit with their 9-year-old daughter Hannah in a playground outside their church in Brandon, Miss. This same sex couple, who have been together over 20 years, often attend the same services as does Mississippi's Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who recently signed House Bill 1523, legislation that will allow government workers, religious groups and some private businesses to cite deeply held religious beliefs to deny services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) (The Associated Press)

BRANDON, Miss. – Mississippi's conservative Republican governor, Phil Bryant, often spends his Sunday mornings at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in suburban Jackson.

The same can be said for Jan Smith and Donna Phillips, a same-sex couple who have a 9-year-old daughter named Hannah.

Considering recent events in Mississippi, that might seem strange.

The couple has fought Mississippi's ban on gay adoptions while Bryant has opposed same-sex marriage and recently signed a bill allowing government workers, religious groups and some private businesses to cite deeply held religious beliefs to deny services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The juxtaposition of beliefs at this church in the Deep South is a window into a debate in much of the U.S. that sometimes puts friends, neighbors and even fellow church members at odds.
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