WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (CBS Charlotte/AP) - A local church has elected to stop performing marriage ceremonies for straight couples until same-sex marriage is legalized.

In a statement posted on the front page of their website, officials at the Green Street United Methodist Church said that they ask other churches to join in the movement to “refuse to sign any State marriage licenses until this right is granted to same- sex couples.”

The statement added, “Because the United Methodist Church prohibits its pastors from conducting same-sex weddings, excluding gay and lesbian couples from the holy sacrament of marriage, the Leadership Council has asked the pastor to refrain from conducting wedding ceremonies in our sanctuary for straight couples, until the denomination lifts its ban for same-sex couples.”

In the full version of their statement - publicly posted on their website – the church asks that services such as premarital counseling be offered to couples of all orientations, in addition to other couple-specific services.

“We ask that our pastors, at their discretion, [also] offer to all couples regardless of orientation a Service of Relationship Blessing in the Sanctuary of Green Street Church,” the statement notes.