Weddings
Centennial United Church has a magnificent sanctuary that provides a perfect setting for a formal wedding. It is a large space that has an intimate feel. Our congregation invites you to celebrate the beginning of your marriage together at our church.
The United Church of Canada believes that marriage is a gift of God through which Christians make a covenant with one another and with God. God calls us into relationships – we are able to love because we are first loved by God. God is committed, faithful, and gracious. With God's help, we are able to be so in our relationships. Marriage in the Christian church is a means of God's grace, not only for the partners but also for their offspring and the wider community.
"Marriage from a Christian perspective is based on faithfulness expressed through choosing each other above all others, accepting and nurturing the other for his or her unique gifts, and putting the other before one's interests in a lifelong commitment that is spiritual, emotional and physical" (from Marriage: A United Church of Canada Understanding, 2005).
Several elements characterize a United Church celebration of marriage:
God is praised as the source of love and initiator of the covenant;
Gospel values (e.g., love, justice, compassion) made known to us in Jesus are expressed;
Scripture is read and proclaimed in some form;
promises are made between the couple and before God
witnesses in the legal sense are acknowledged, as well as the presence and support of family, guests and congregation.
As a church community we at Centennial have a responsibility to support the couple in deepening their relationship with God and with each other. We want couples entering a marriage covenant to have the necessary tools to help in their lifelong commitment to each other and so we ask couples to attend a marriage preparation course before the wedding date.
If you are interested in celebrating your special day at our church, please contact the church office at 250-384-6424 or email centen1@telus.net