Marriage
"Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full..."
Welcome to those exploring a wedding service at Bethany United Church!
We look forward to meeting you. We believe in marriage and look forward to hearing your hopes and dreams for your wedding and your marriage. We often commend this excellent article to those who are entering into this specific kind of partnership:
Three Views of Marriage (NY Times article by David Brooks)
Holding a wedding in our space we hope to bring a certain understanding of what it means to follow the teaching of Jesus in community and in relationships:
We believe that it is important to make the wedding service personal and meaningful. We ask the couple to each name 3-5 things that they are passionate about (John 10:10 "I come to bring life and life in abundance"). After reading Luke 14, and whatever other scripture passages and other texts you select, we reference those things you are passionate about in light of connecting our passions and gifts with the needs of the community around us.
We also include a template of a typical wedding service that has been used. Click here to download it. It is not etched in stone! But it is a good starting point for us to edit and find language that suits the context of the church and your own personal integrity.
Finally there is the matter of administration; bookings, licences, fees, etc... we invite you to connect with our Wedding Host or review our Marriage Guidelines.
There is a lot here to digest, but not really. You will find it is much easier than it looks but this added information will help you decide if we offer the sacred space you are looking for. We hope the answer to all questions is YES.
Please feel free to contact us to expand on or clarify any part of what is included here.
Peace, Lisa Harrison, Clerk of Session