A DECISION by the United Reformed Church (URC) to allow its buildings to host same-sex marriages has been welcomed by ministers in South Lakeland.

The General Assembly of the URC voted overwhelmingly in favour of allowing its local churches to conduct and register marriages for same-sex couples.

But the decision to host the marriages now lies with each local church.

The Rev Martyn Coe, Team Minister of the South Lakes Group of the URC, who cares for churches in Windermere and Grange-over-Sands, said: “Personally, I am pleased that the General Assembly has confirmed that the decision about offering same sex marriage is one for local churches. I look forward to discussing this further with my congregations.”

The Rev Carole Marsden, from Kendal URC, said: “I am very proud that the URC Church as a national denomination has taken such care, prayerful consideration and time over the often emotional and divisive issue of allowing same sex marriages to be conducted within the church.

"The United Reformed Churches of the South Lakes Group will all, in time, discuss these issues and make their own decisions. They will do so prayerfully and in dialogue with their ecumenical neighbours and friends for we journey together here in Cumbria and value our deepening relationships as we seek to serve the communities we belong to.”

United Reformed Churches in England and Wales wishing to register their buildings for the marriage of same-sex couples are now able to start that process immediately.

The General Assembly has considered the proposal twice before – in 2014, and again in a special, single issue Assembly, which met in June 2015.

At the 2015 Assembly it was ruled that that the decision on whether an individual United Reformed Church congregation can host marriages of same-sex couples lies wholly with each local church and that was the policy confirmed at the weekend.

Speaking about the vote, the Rev John Proctor, General Secretary of the URC said: ‘Today the URC has made an important decision – at which some will rejoice and with which others will be uncomfortable. Those of our churches who now wish to offer full marriage services to same-sex couples are free to do just that – and those churches who do not wish to are not compelled to.

" All are part of this denomination. This has been a sensitive issue for many in our churches. It has been important to take our time over the decision process, and to listen as carefully as we can to one another along the way."

The URC is now the largest UK denomination to freely permit the celebration and registration of marriages of same-sex couple in its churches