'An Act of Love' documentary to be screened in Rehoboth April 24

The FIRE (Freely Inviting and Reconciling Everyone) group of Epworth United Methodist Church, in partnership with the Reconciling Ministries Network will host a screening of the documentary film, "An Act of Love," at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, April 24, at the church in Rehoboth.

The event is free and open to the public; free-will donations will be accepted to help defray the costs of the 90-minute film.

The film tells the story of the Rev. Frank Schaefer’s religious trials for officiating at his son’s same-sex marriage and the ensuing controversy that made national headlines. "An Act of Love" aims to elevate the conversation surrounding LGBTQ rights in the United Methodist Church. Open discussion of the issues raised in the film will follow the screening.

During 2016, the United Methodist Church's General Conference, its policy-making body, will convene for its quadrennial meeting. The Reconciling Ministries Network and ally organizations have filed several pieces of legislation that would ban discrimination toward LGBTQ clergy and lay members employed in the United Methodist Church, allow clergy to perform same-sex marriages, and reduce harm toward LGTBQ children and youth.

For more information on the campaign, It’s Time, go to www.rmnetwork.org/itstime. For more information about Epworth’s FIRE organization and the April 24 screening and discussion, go to www.eumcrb.org/rmn-fire.