A Methodist church in Alabama will hold a public screening of an episode of the PBS children’s show Arthur that has been shunned by Alabama Public Television for featuring a same-sex wedding.

AL.com reports that the First United Methodist church in Birmingham is hosting the free screening of Mr Ratburn and the Special Someone on 15 June and plans to serve wedding cake and sparkling apple juice.

The episode aired nationally on 13 May, but APT showed a rerun instead. APT’s director of programming, Mike Mckenzie, defended the decision by saying parents trust that their children can watch the station without supervision.

APT offered a similar response in 2005 when it refused to air an episode of Arthur that featured another same-sex couple. A local LGBTQ youth center screened the new episode last week.

First United’s senior pastor, the Rev Stephanie Arnold, has urged Methodists to keep struggling for “full inclusion”, saying “we want to extend God’s love and grace for all people”.

In a recent vote, leaders of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination opted to strengthen its ban on gay and lesbian clergy and same-sex marriages.