Months after Frank Schaefer made headlines when he was fired from his job as a Methodist minister for officiating his gay son’s wedding, a filmmaker is hoping to use his story to foster dialogue about marriage equality and LGBT inclusion in faith settings.
“An Act of Love,” directed, produced and edited by Scott Sheppard, tells the story of Schaefer, the former pastor of Zion Iona Church in Lebanon. Last year, a congregant filed a complaint against Schaefer for officiating his gay son’s wedding in 2007. The minister was given a choice by church higher-ups: Pledge to never again officiate a same-sex marriage or risk losing his credentials.
Schaefer chose the latter and was put on trial before the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church, which found him guilty of officiating a same-sex wedding and disobedience to the order and discipline of the church. He was given a 30-day suspension and ultimately defrocked.
Three of Schaefer’s four children identify as LGBT and Schaefer has told news outlets that his actions were simply an “act of love.”
Sheppard, who is based in Los Angeles, is also the son of a pastor.
“I was just fascinated by his story because I grew up in the Methodist Church as a preacher’s kid but never heard of the judicial process, so the whole thing fascinated me,” he said. “The story of Frank and his kids and what he did for them just moved me.”
Sheppard, who has a bachelor’s degree in film and video production, has a wealth of experience with editing and producing documentaries, and “An Act of Love” marks his second time directing a documentary.
Filming on “An Act of Love” is expected to wrap by the end of the year.
To help support costs, the crew launched an online donation campaign and raised more than $75,000 in pledges for the effort.
Sheppard said the trailer was shot through out-of-pocket funds and supporters can still donate to keep filming going at http://www.anactoflovefilm.com. Sheppard also plans to apply for documentary film grants throughout the year.
Sheppard said Schaefer, who makes a personal appearance in the trailer, has been cooperative and excited for the documentary.
“Frank has been great. He has been supportive of this project and sees the potential for it,” Sheppard said. “He is really hoping to bring this story to light more so than the media has and do an in-depth investigation from all sides of the story. He wants to create change with this film and educate and inspire and continue dialogue about same-sex marriage and LGBT inclusion in the United Methodist Church.”
Sheppard said he hopes to have the film done by early next year.
He said the documentary has the ability to open up and continue dialogue within both the religious and LGBT communities on issues that directly impact them both.
“Religion and issues of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage are not clear-cut, not black and white. There are different viewpoints and shades of gray and it was important for me to explore all viewpoints. This is not an issue of right and wrong, good and bad. People are bringing a lot of their own personal views and histories to their beliefs on these issues,” he said. “It is important for people to keep talking about their points of views. It is the best way to move forward. These personal stories can have a big impact on that. To a lot of people, gay rights is a vague issue, and the documentary is powerful because it put faces on these stories.”
For more information, visit www.anactoflovefilm.com.