Imagine mourning the loss of a loved one only to be told the night before the funeral that the church canceled their service.
This was a reality for one Florida man when a church canceled his husband's funeral after the pastor and congregation learned he was gay, according to ABC News.
Kendall Capers was informed of the canceled service the night before his husband, Julion Evans, was supposed to be buried.
"Everyone who knew us knew about our relationship," said Capers. "We didn't keep secrets."
However, the pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Tampa only found out the pair was gay when the newspaper obituary named Capers "the surviving husband," according to ABC News.
T.W. Jenkins, the pastor, said his church preaches against gay marriage.
"Based on our preaching in the scripture, we would have been in error to allow the service in our church," Jenkins said. "I'm not trying to condemn anyone's lifestyle, but at the same time, I am a man of God, and I have to stand up for my principles."
Evans' mother told CNN she was standing by her son's casket when her phone rang. The pastor allegedly left a message saying it would be "blasphemous" for her son's funeral to be held at the church.
"Regardless of our background, our sexual orientation, how can you wait that long and put someone in a bind when they're going through a loss?" Capers told CNN.
Pastor Jenkins did say he regrets the decision was made the night before the funeral.
The deceased man's family was forced to hold the funeral at the funeral home that handled the wake. Although the family said it ended up being a great service, they still feel it was wrong that the church excluded them.
"It's not like we woke up and said let's be gay," said Capers. "We were born with (it) and we've dealt with it for me, 40 years, him 42 years and we make the best possible choices."
The pair married last year in Maryland and were partners for 17 years. Evans died after a 4-year battle with Amyloidosis, a rare illness that destroys organs in the body. He was 42.
