COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 3, 2009)--In a quiet act of defiance, gay and lesbian Mennonites dressed in pink have protested their exclusion from membership outside the church's convention in Columbus, Ohio.

About 100 ministers and church members prayed, sang hymns and described feeling ostracized growing up in the Mennonite church, which does not recognize openly gay people as official members.

The "pink Menno" protest brought the deeply divisive issue to the forefront of the Mennonite Church USA conference, a national gathering of about 8,000 delegates.

The Rev. Cindy Lapp, pastor of Hyattsville Mennonite Church in Maryland, said her congregation has lost its voting rights within the church for welcoming gays and lesbians.