Baptist Convention (SBC). The SBC also expelled Binkley Memorial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for allowing a gay person to preach. After Siler's retirement in 1998, Jack McKinney became pastor in 2000, and in May 2002 the congregation voted to call Nancy E. Petty as co-pastor alongside McKinney. Petty's promotion made history for Pullen in multiple ways, but according to Religion News Service, "the 192-59 vote ... was memorable for its lack of discussion about Petty's sexual orientation. Congregants ... were more concerned with the model of dual leadership and whether it would be a good way to run their church." Reverend Jack McKinney serves on the steering committee of the North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality, which continues to sponsor speakers on this issue. In 2006, Raleigh native James A. Forbes, senior pastor of the historic Riverside Church in New York City, spoke at an interfaith service at Pullen Memorial and addressed issues of sexuality and rights in the United States. In 2002, McKinney wrote an op-ed in The News & Observer expressing his concerns about sex education in the Wake County Public School System. He stated, The most trusted medical and scientific institutions in our nation recommend sexuality education that includes age-appropriate and medically accurate information about abstinence and contraception. But we don't have that in Wake County. We have a strict abstinence-based curriculum that is driven by conservative religious values, has no track record of success and ignores the complicated and frightening realities in which our children live. McKinney endorsed the Planned Parenthood Clergy Advisory Board statement on sexuality education. During the time leading up to the Iraq War, McKinney spoke out against the invasion saying, "If the church feels the government is over-reaching, we have to stand up and say we don't think this is wise." People of Faith Against the Death Penalty awarded Pullen Memorial its 2005 Faith in Action Award for its stance and work against the death penalty. Jack McKinney has called for a moratorium on executions in North Carolina. In early 2009, Pullen opened a building expansion that added an additional to its facilities. The congregation made sustainability an integral part of the plan. The building plan was recognized by the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for its design and use of solar energy, green roofs, and water recycling. The expansion is heated and cooled by a