Weddings

Dear Bride and Groom:
Your wedding day is one of the most important days in your life. Its significance is captured by the short ceremonial phrase “two lives have now come together to form one.” Your uniting in this manner is the reason your family and friends are joining you in the church as witnesses to your wedding vows.
We believe a wedding is a worship experience where God is clearly present. All that you will read in this brochure and all the guidance you receive from the staff at Zion’s U.C.C. reflects this understanding of the wedding ceremony.

My role in your wedding day preparation and service will be that of counselor and pastor. As a counselor, I conduct an extensive premarital counseling program in which all couples are required to enroll. As your pastor, I will walk with you before, during, and if you so choose, after your wedding day.

Words from the Exhortation of the Order of Marriage clearly states: “the marriage obligations should not be entered into unadvisedly or lightly but reverently and before God.” This is the covenant the ministry team makes with couples who choose Zion’s as the place for their wedding.

God’s blessings,
Sharon S. Morris, Pastor

FROM THE UNITED CHURCHOF CHRIST
BOOK OF WORSHIP

The essence of marriage is a covenanted commitment that has its foundation in the faithfulness of God’s love.

The marriage ceremony is the glad occasion on which two people unite as husband and wife in the mutual exchange of covenant promises. The pastor acts as an official representative of the church and gives the marriage the church’s blessing. The congregation joins in affirming the marriage and in offering support and thanksgiving for the new family.

It is the responsibility of the pastor to meet with the couple prior to the marriage ceremony in order to counsel them concerning the Christian understanding of the marriage relationship.

Congregational participation, ethnic traditions and local customs may be taken into consideration when planning the Order for Marriage. The pastor may invite the couple to share in the writing and planning of the service. A Christian marriage ceremony is a service of worship offered to God. Family and friends of the couple may be invited to share in the leadership of the service by reading scripture, by offering prayers, or in other ways.

USE OF THE CHURCH

Please remember that Zion’s is, above all, a house of worship. The church consistory has established rules that pertain to the use of the sanctuary and the church property. The wedding couple should note the following:
·There is a wedding application that must be completed after meeting with the pastor. When the application is submitted to the pastor, the date of the wedding is placed on the church calendar.
·There is a fee schedule for members and non-members/inactive members. All fees must be paid two (2) weeks or more prior to the wedding date.
·Use of the social room and kitchen must be arranged according to the guidelines.
·Decorations should be kept in relation to the sacredness and dignity of the sanctuary. Decorations must be removed as soon as possible after the wedding by the couple’s appointed individual(s).
·NO FLASH photographs may be taken in the sanctuary after the processional begins. Positioning of the photographer and videographer must be arranged in advance with the wedding director.
·NO rice, birdseed, balloon launching, or alcoholic beverages are permitted in the church or on the church property.
·A meeting with a wedding director is required in order to insure that the couple’s wedding is a special day for them and their family.