Reverend David Meredith, the gay, married minister of United Methodist Church in Clifton, Ohio, was the victim of a very specific burglar in late April, who broke into his church office through a window and stole his ordination papers and seminary diploma.
The documents had not been hung but rather were sitting against the wall, they're Meredith's seminary diploma from Saint Paul School of Theology and his ordination certificate. His laptop, historic church jewelry and other valuables were not taken.
“This is clearly a planned, purposeful way to de-authorize my ministry as a pastor in this place,” said Meredith. “It's a very directed, very intentional and feels like somebody is trying to do what the processes of the church have not yet been able to do.”
What the church is trying to do is remove Meredith from the church.
Days after he was married in 2016, complaints started coming in to the church about him and he's currently the subject of a trial by the UMC, which will decide in October if he is ousted. In the meantime, Meredith says, he's being intimidated.
Hundreds of people, however, showed up at a Sunday night protest to support him.
