Defrocked by the United Methodist Church six months ago for officiating his son's same-sex wedding, Schaefer has gained a following among reformers who want the nation's second-largest Protestant denomination to loosen its policies on homosexuality.

He's told his story dozens of times to largely sympathetic audiences around the country: How his son came out to him as a teenager who had contemplated suicide. How he hid the 2007 wedding from his conservative Pennsylvania congregation, fearing it would sow division. How he finally decided — in the midst of his high-profile church trial last fall — to become an outspoken advocate for gay rights at a time when his denomination is bitterly divided over the issue.

After his trial and conviction, "I thought I had lost everything," recalled Schaefer, 52. "There was a moment of pain and depression and the next thing I knew, I was catapulted . I have more opportunities now than I ever did."...

"I would like to get my credentials back," said Schaefer, who will appear before a church panel in Baltimore this week to argue that his punishment was illegal under church law. "I'm hoping for a 're-frocking.'"