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Weddings

" I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10



Click on Link Non-Member Wedding Packet

Congratulations on your decision to be married! We are delighted to know that you are interested in having your wedding ceremony at College Avenue Presbyterian Church Located in Alton. We believe that “marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family” (Directory for Worship, from the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church USA), and for that reason we take very seriously our role in assisting couples to plan for their wedding day.
Marriage is a civil contract between a man and a woman, and some guidance is given from The Pastor before obtaining a marriage license. Christian marriage, within our faith tradition, is a covenant “through which a man and a woman are called to live out together before God their lives of discipleship” (Directory for Worship), and ordinarily the marriage covenant is acknowledged and celebrated in a public service of worship. Couples seeking to be married at College Avenue Presbyterian Church should contact the pastor as soon as possible. After meeting with the couple, the pastor will schedule the wedding on the church calendar. (No wedding is officially scheduled until the pastor has given consent to officiate.) Guest pastors are frequently a part of the wedding ceremony. The wedding ceremony in our tradition may be characterized as one of simple dignity. “Flowers, decorations, and other appointments should be appropriate to the place of worship, enhance worshipers’ consciousness of the reality of God, and reflect the integrity and simplicity of Christian life” (Directory for Worship). The key to understanding wedding ceremonies in a Presbyterian Church is to remember that a wedding is, first and last, a service of worship. The information provided here, including all policies and procedures, should assist couples to plan for a wedding ceremony that is simple, joyful, beautiful, and appropriate for our faith tradition.

Planning and preparing for your wedding (and marriage)

The pastors at First Presbyterian Church take seriously their responsibility to prepare couples not only for the wedding ceremony, but also for their life after the ceremony. Couples who are married at College Avenue Presbyterian Church are asked to prepare for their wedding (and marriage) in at least two ways. First, as mentioned in the introduction, couples must schedule an appointment with the pastor as soon as possible. After meeting with the couple – and discerning their “commitment, responsibility, maturity, and Christian understanding” (Directory for Worship) - the wedding date can be placed on the church calendar. The pastor will have his or her own strategy for preparing couples, and this information will be shared in the initial meeting. Some of the areas to be discussed include:

(1) the nature of their Christian commitment, assuring that at
least one is a professing Christian,
(2) the legal requirements of the state,
(3) the privileges and responsibilities of Christian marriage,
(4) the nature and form of the marriage service,
(5) the vows and commitments they will be asked to make,
(6) the relationship of these commitments to their lives of discipleship,
(7) the resources of the faith and the Christian community to assist them in fulfilling their marriage commitments. (Directory for Worship)
Second, couples married at College Avenue Presbyterian Church are required to participate in a marriage preparation workshop. Our hope is to provide couples with as many tools as we can to assist them in their new life together. Details about these workshops will be shared during the initial meeting with the pastor.
Date Couple Minister
September 12, 2009 Alisha Marie Jaroszewski and Steven Richard Wimberly Reverend Janet L. Riley
September 26, 2009 Andrea Parrish and Joseph Galletta Reverend Janet L. Riley

"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." - 1 Timothy 6:11