Weddings
Because of the element of diversity that is already present and celebrated in our church, our Pastor feels comfortable officiating at ecumenical and interfaith weddings. Although our church is a Christian church and the wedding ceremony is a religious ceremony, Reverend Sanderson is often able to help a couple create a wedding ceremony that is meaningful to the couple and sensitive to their religious backgrounds or traditions.
We find that many couples, though they are not official members of any church, have a feeling for the religious or spiritual dimension of marriage. This is true even if the marriage is a second marriage for one or both. They would like this dimension of their relationship and their vows articulated and celebrated in their wedding ceremony. They would also like the ceremony to be performed by a clergyperson in a church, not a Justice of the Peace in a town hall. Our church, with its warm and inviting ambiance, is the ideal setting for a small wedding (up to 100 guests). It is a viable alternative to being married in a home, at the reception facility, in a rented mansion, or in a large church where the wedding party becomes lost in the vastness of the sanctuary.
Most couples also prefer to be married in our church because of the excellent acoustics and the availability of organ or piano music for the prelude, processional, and recessional. Our church organist, who is an accomplished professional pianist and organist, adds an important dimension to the feeling tone of the ceremony.
We do not require that couples be members of our church to be married by our pastor in our church or in wedding ceremonies that he performs at other locations. We do hope that the couple will find some church home (perhaps even ours) where the spiritual dimension of their relationship and their own individuation will be nurtured.
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