To former vicar Colin Coward, it is nothing short of a marriage made in heaven. But the 65-year-old is expected to raise a few traditional eyebrows when he walks down the aisle with the man in his life – a 25-year-old Nigerian model called Bobby.

Mr Coward and his African partner are due to hold a civil partnership later this year, followed by a service at the vicar’s church, St John the Baptist church in Devizes, Wiltshire.

The couple met at a Christian conference three years ago, and are planning to make their relationship official in a few weeks’ time.

Reverend Colin Coward fell in love with Nigerian model Bobby Egbele after they met at a Christian conference in Togo in 2007. The pair plan to tie the knot in October

Bobby Ikekhuame Egbele, a fashion designer and model, grew up in Nigeria and runs an online clothes shop. Currently in the UK on a holiday visa, he and his ‘husband-to-be’ are waiting for the green light from the Borders Agency, which has requested details of their relationship and residency.

This is expected to be a formality but the ‘marriage’ cannot go ahead until permission is granted. Mr Egbele, who will then become a British citizen, said yesterday: ‘I’m excited about the wedding and that people are interested in it.

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‘We want it to be a public thing to inspire other people, but a marriage is also private so that feels a bit strange.’

Mr Coward, who is no longer employed by the Church but still has permission to preach, added that he hopes their public commitment will set an example to other gay people within the Anglican community.

Rev Coward plans to refuse the request that he remain celibate
Mr Coward, who lives with Mr Egbele in the Wiltshire village of Marston, said: ‘My goal is for everyone within the Church to feel comfortable with the situation because at the moment the majority of gay Christians marry secretly.

‘It is a taboo subject but the Church is now under huge pressure to change its stance and that pressure will only increase in the future. '

‘Clearly the blessing is going to be quite a sensitive issue. I know that many people will see it and view it with horror. But we are both deeply committed Christians so it would be unthinkable for me not to do it in church and not to do it with the congregation and with all of our friends.‘
'I hope my wedding will inspire others and set a visible example to the church that we are not afraid.’

The pair describe themselves as 'deeply committed Christians' and say they are determined to have the church service
Mr Coward, a former architect and now a gay campaigner, met Mr Egbele in 2007 at a Christian conference in Togo, West Africa, and the pair got engaged earlier this year.

The men are due to ‘marry’ on October 9 at the Register Office in Devizes before having a service at St John the Baptist church.

However, the service will not be a blessing, which is forbidden by the Anglican hierarchy for homosexual couples. But Stephen Green, director of campaign group Christian Voice, yesterday described Mr Coward’s marriage ‘an abomination before God’.

Mr Green added: ‘Mr Coward is just an emotionally disturbed man trying to inflict his predilections on the rest of the Church I fail to recognise him as a Christian because he doesn’t keep the commandments of Lord Jesus.’ A spokesman for the Diocese of Salisbury confirmed it has permitted the service to go ahead but described it as


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1304674/Gay-vicar-65-marry-Nigerian-male-model-half-age.html#ixzz0xCnpl6n6

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Happy married life to them. Screw the bigoted church!

^^^ Chei!

Oyedepo likely has a case to answer over you.

But you also have culpability!

BTW, and this is sincere, lets assume nature (not God) arranged "things" - did that include anal exploration, also known as Anal astronance, buggering, mattress munching, packing the fudge, stuffin the piper, overloading the barrel, laying some pipe, hiding a salami, burying a bone, munching on a rug, driving up the hershey highway? To me, the development of a list such as above shows it is NOT considered normal.

But then, thats just me! For such as are looking to wear a nappy in their old age and require self-immolation to get ahead, it might just be the normal thing.

FYI, I know what most would want to eisegise by my typing that list of descriptions. So spare me the theatrics - I was stating reality! Lets be honest. How do two married guys get intimacy aside perversion? And if perverse, is that normalcy? Would you give up your bunghole? I'm sure we'd find people who'd make an exception for you!

What a pathetic, despicable, irritating and disgusting story. Let the old testament laws be applied on these perverts.

Imagine Rev. Collin coward preaching on the pulpit on sunday. . . . Chei. . . . I go vex!

mods. . . . pls put this on the homepage

nuclearboy:

^^^ Chei!

Oyedepo likely has a case to answer over you.

But you also have culpability!

BTW, and this is sincere, lets assume nature (not God) arranged "things" - did that include anal exploration, also known as Anal astronance, buggering, mattress munching, packing the fudge, stuffin the piper, overloading the barrel, laying some pipe, hiding a salami, burying a bone, munching on a rug, driving up the hershey highway? To me, the development of a list such as above shows it is NOT considered normal.

But then, thats just me! For such as are looking to wear a nappy in their old age and require self-immolation to get ahead, it might just be the normal thing.

FYI, I know what most would want to eisegise by my typing that list of descriptions. So spare me the theatrics - I was stating reality! Lets be honest. How do two married guys get intimacy aside perversion? And if perverse, is that normalcy? Would you give up your bunghole? I'm sure we'd find people who'd make an exception for you!

Bullcrap. So your grouse with gays is they stick it up the but.t hence not normal therefore should be illegal?? Are you kidding me?

If they decide to stop sticking it up the arse will you bigots let them be and get married??

Lesbians who do not do an.al will you then allow them get married??

In that case oral seex and mas,turbation even amongst married couples should be illegal as ''nature'' didnt design the mouth and hands for BJ and wanking therefore its abnormal and a perversion. You people never cease to amaze me.

No God or ghost created marriage. Marriage is simply a legality created by human society and gays are asking that the right be recognised as companions by the state be extended to them. And hey THEY WILL GET THAT RIGHT and there's NOTHING you, the church, mosque or anybody can do about it.

passing by,

@Tudor:

Stop! You've always come across as sincere no matter how attritive you were but here you're changing - where did I say to make it illegal? I said it was NOT normal. I said it is perverted. I said it has long term effects that are not what the everyday guy wants for himself.

And I do not believe a church built under unction of Scripture to serve the Christian God should brazenly or otherwise support something that its rule-book condemns.

Your lesbos, etc can do whatever they want. Not in Church!

nuclearboy:

@Tudor:

Stop! You've always come across as sincere no matter how attritive you were but here you're changing - where did I say to make it illegal? I said it was NOT normal. I said it is perverted. I said it has long term effects that are not what the everyday guy wants for himself.

And I do not believe a church built under unction of Scripture to serve the Christian God should brazenly or otherwise support something that its rule-book condemns.

Your lesbos, etc can do whatever they want. Not in Church!

God's rule book condemns quite a lot of things, yet I do not I do not hear christians get outraged about usury, wearing clothes made of two or more different materials, working on the sabbath and so on. Yet when it comes to homosexuality, they lose all sense of fairness and human decency.
What two adult homosexuals choose to do in private is not anyone's of God's business. If they choose to go down the line of a Civil Partnership, I say good for them.
All this hypocrisy emanating from so-called christians leaves a horrible smell behind.

Has any any 1 forced u 2 abide by "Gods rule book"?GUESS NOT.COS THE THINGS OF GOD IS NOT BY FORCE.Behold i have set b4 u life n death 2 choose bt i ask that u choose life that ye mit live.so u c is not a rule book is a guide book.so if the vicar guy decides 2 die dats is business.

The man no dey shame sef

Eleba:

Has any any 1 forced u 2 abide by "Gods rule book"?GUESS NOT.COS THE THINGS OF GOD IS NOT BY FORCE.Behold i have set b4 u life n death 2 choose bt i ask that u choose life that ye mit live.so u c is not a rule book is a guide book.so if the vicar guy decides 2 die dats is business.

How very typical  
Missing the point (no doubt deliberately as is usual for theists).
The point is not whether anyone has forced me to live by god's rule book, but whether those who scream the loudest about homosexuality do the same when it comes to enforcing other prohibitions in the bible.
How many pastors have taken their wives to their fathers' houses on their wedding nights and had them stoned to death for not being virgins at the point of marriage?
How many christians have been stoned for being adulterers? Yet we know christians many times over.
How many pastors pay heed to "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man man to enter the kingdom of god"?
How many christians have heard "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven"?
Why do christians spend their kind looking into other persons' bedrooms? This is a sign of sexual frustration on the part of those who pretend to be pious.
I am sure that all those who appear to be outraged about the idea of two men living their lives together spend most of their spare time wondering what it would be like to take it from behind.

lets leave religion ok,on a moral ground,does makn love 2 sum1 of d same sex seem ok 2 u? 2 me it doesnt.on d religious ground, we were commanded not to do so 4 it is an abomination.

@Eleba
Even you have to admit that your attempts to leave religion out of this leaves you with a ridiculous argument. Homosexuality does exist in nature. You show your true colours by calling this an abomination.
Please, tell me how two men having se.x threatens you or your god. I am a married man and have a few gay friends. I have never felt the need to sleep with any of them, neither has it threatened my marriage.
Religion is the only - and, in my view, illegitimate basis for homophobia. Before you start bleating on about how the bible (or the koran) forbid it, know that you and your fellow objectors are homophobic.

Zodiac61:

How very typical 
Missing the point (no doubt deliberately as is usual for theists).
[b]The point is not whether anyone has forced me to live by god's rule book, but whether those who scream the loudest about homosexuality do the same when it comes to enforcing other prohibitions in the bible.
How many pastors have taken their wives to their fathers' houses on their wedding nights and had them stoned to death for not being virgins at the point of marriage?
How many christians have been stoned for being adulterers? Yet we know christians many times over.[/b]How many pastors pay heed to "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man man to enter the kingdom of god"?
How many christians have heard "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven"?
Why do christians spend their kind looking into other persons' bedrooms? This is a sign of sexual frustration on the part of those who pretend to be pious.
I am sure that all those who appear to be outraged about the idea of two men living their lives together spend most of their spare time wondering what it would be like to take it from behind.

Punishment for the death-warranting sins under the Old Covenant was administrated by the Levitical Priests (Humans). Christians are under the New Covenant (made in the blood of Christ) and punishment for sins under this covenant is not administered by man.

Zodiac61:

How very typical
Missing the point (no doubt deliberately as is usual for theists).
The point is not whether anyone has forced me to live by god's rule book, but whether those who scream the loudest about homosexuality do the same when it comes to enforcing other prohibitions in the bible.
How many pastors have taken their wives to their fathers' houses on their wedding nights and had them stoned to death for not being virgins at the point of marriage?
How many christians have been stoned for being adulterers? Yet we know christians many times over.
How many pastors pay heed to "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man man to enter the kingdom of god"?
How many christians have heard "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.Forgive, and you will be forgiven"?
Why do christians spend their kind looking into other persons' bedrooms? This is a sign of sexual frustration on the part of those who pretend to be pious.
I am sure that all those who appear to be outraged about the idea of two men living their lives together spend most of their spare time wondering what it would be like to take it from behind .

Christians can point out the sin of fellow christians. The aim is not condemnation but to get them to depart from that sin and return to their former love (Christ). The word of God condemns homosexuality, therefore, keeping quiet when 'Christians who are departing from Christ' and 'fashioning a god to suit their own lifestlye' mislead others is not what a true Christian would do. Homosexuality has no place in Christianity!

Jehovah is not the god of sexual perversion. Many christians and non-christians enjoy a very fulfilling sex life without resorting to any form of perversion.

I'm not against gay(s) or anything related to it, be it male or female. I just don't understand. Why the extreme?