On the seventh day, the issue rested.
In the first Sunday sermon Bishop Alfred A. Owens Jr. made since apologizing for his remarks about gays and lesbians, the pastor of Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church moved beyond the controversy of the past weeks and preached a lively message about keeping one’s house in order.
“You are the church. The church needs to know who it is before the world defines you,” Owens told the Northeast Washington congregation, one of the largest in the city.
Before the midmorning service, members of his congregation stopped outside the huge church at 610 Rhode Island Ave. to voice their support of the longtime pastor.
“The man issued an apology,” said Eric T. Lewis. “What more does he have to do? This man is saving souls and changing society.”
Said Madeleine Morrison, of Gaithersburg: “He has been a staunch supporter of the Bible and I agree with him 100 percent.”
Owens apologized Thursday after Mayor Anthony Williams threatened to remove him from the 21-member Interfaith Council.
Owens can be heard on an April 9 church recording saying, “It takes a real man to confess Jesus as lord and savior. I’m not talking about no faggot or no sissy.”
