I'm writing this letter with a little sadness and concern. I'm a retired over-the-road truck driver from Niagara Falls, N.Y. In my travels into Pennsylvania, I grew to love this state. I met a wonderful Christian woman. We started dating and going to the church she went to in Mifflinburg. After a year, I asked her to marry me. She said yes.

We started to go to jams at churches. At one church, we heard a family; they were really good. The daughter played piano and sang so wonderfully. The father told us a story about her. In tears he told us about her as a child, how she got deathly ill. The doctors said she would be lucky to walk or talk, and she might die. Her mom and dad stayed at her bedside and prayed. She finally started showing signs of improvement with therapy and speech. She pulled through, and said she wanted to work for the Lord. She went to college to become a minister, also graduated from music school and became a music teacher. She is also a missionary. We asked her if she would be available to sing at our wedding. She asked when. She told us she would, but had a commitment. Being a missionary, she was going to Uganda in Africa, but would return two weeks before our wedding.

We were married by the church minister. It was a wonderful occasion. We are now getting ready to celebrate two wonderful years of marriage. We wanted to have something at the church where we were married. We spoke to a committee member about what we wanted to do. Having the woman pastor, our close friend, sing at the church service. He said it was OK. Last week we had a call from a committee member who said they believe it should be a man pastor or missionary leader, not a woman. They never had a woman. I was shocked. There are a lot of good women pastors of different churches. Is this discrimination?

Harold John,

Mifflinburg