[caption id="attachment_162221" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photo by Getty Images[/caption]

The Congregational United Church of Christ in Plain Township, Ohio, celebrated its 100^th year in a major way. The church, located just north of Canton, installed its first gay pastor, reports the Canton Repository.

The Rev. Dennis Coy was formally inducted as the church’s pastor on Sunday. The 35-year-old was elected as the church’s pastor in June. He said he's always known he’d end up in the ministry. “I’ve had a feeling from childhood that I would go into the ministry. I’ve been active in various ministries all my life,” Coy said.

Coy joined the church last fall and became interim pastor in January. He came out in 2012. He said the decision was extremely difficult and included him ending a 10-year relationship with his wife. But he now wants to encourage people to always remain true to themselves. “My theology as a pastor is, above all else, we love everyone. We want to be a place where people can feel it. ... It’s about showing others that it’s OK to be who you are,” Coy said.

Along with his duties as minister of the church, he also works full-time investigating money laundering for a regional bank. He is a former police officer and attended seminary at University of London and the UCC’s lay ministry program.

h/t: Canton Repository