Preparing for Marriage

If you are engaged to be married or contemplating engagement, let us offer our congratulations as you enter into the closest human relationship God has designed for us! Worship Center believes the following lay a strong foundation for your future together:

• Both you and your fiancé are trusting in Christ as Savior
• You commit to participate in six sessions of Pre-Marital Mentoring
• You commit to practicing purity by abstaining from sexual activity and living separately until your wedding

These three important decisions will be discussed at the initial meeting with the pastor you are asking to perform your wedding ceremony. The premarital process is about building a solid relational foundation. Our process is designed to show you how to build a Christ-centered marriage that will last a lifetime by using Godly principles and time tested skills and tools.

If you call Worship Center your church home, this process is available to you:

Scheduling a Wedding

Because of the high volume of events that take place at Worship Center, it is important to schedule your wedding/reception as soon as possible.
View Worship Center's Calendar of Events

To schedule a wedding, contact the Family Ministries Office at 717.656.4271, or email: missyc@worshipcenter.org and be prepared to give the following information: date, time, and location of the wedding. You can also request a pastor to officiate your ceremony. If you don’t have a pastoral preference, a meeting will be scheduled with the Director of Family Ministries, at which time, you can discuss your options. It may be necessary for you to have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices due to the pastors’ schedules.

Initial Meeting with the Pastor

Prior to the meeting, please fill out the Premarital questionnaire and return to the Family Ministries office via email to missyc@worshipcenter.org. If you are unable to open the Word document, please download the PDF document, print, fill it out, and mail it to Worship Center, or bring it to the meeting with the pastor.
Premarital Questionnaire (Word document)
Premarital Questionnaire (PDF document)

The initial meeting with the pastor or Director of Family Ministries should take place ideally 6-12 months before the wedding date. During the meeting, the pastor will get to know you better by asking a few questions regarding your relationship and wedding plans. You will also receive the Planning Your Wedding booklet and a copy of The Five Love Languages.

Premarital Mentoring

After meeting with a pastor, you will be asked to do an online relationship assessment called FOCCUS. While premarital mentoring is free, there is a $50 fee charged to each couple getting married to cover the costs of the FOCCUS. Payments can be made online (pay here) or by cash or check. Checks should be made payable to Worship Center. Payment is due within one week of initial meeting with the pastor. Once payment is received, the Family Ministries Administrative Assistant will contact you by email with the details for this assessment. A premarital mentor couple will then be selected for you based on your life circumstances, unique needs, and proximity.

Your mentoring will consist of approximately six sessions, each lasting about 1.5 hours. You and your mentoring couple will explore the fundamentals for building a strong marriage that are specific to you. Each mentor couple has been married at least seven years and has a proven track record of a healthy marriage. Their goal is to help you get off to a good start for a wonderful life together. Some of the topics that you will discuss together are good communication, finances, lifestyle expectations, and celebrating differences.

Your premarital mentoring couple will also be available for additional mentoring after your wedding. They will do an informal marriage check-up at 9 months to 1 year, and a formal check-up, using the REFOCCUS marriage assessment tool, at 2 and 5 years of marriage.

Wedding Coordinator

To help make your day run smoothly, Worship Center will provide a trained wedding coordinator to assist you before and during your wedding. There is no charge for her services. The wedding coordinator will help you with the use of the facilities and the flow of your wedding. Her services may include:

• Familiarizing you with the facility
• Answering any wedding related questions
• Helping you determine the setup for stage, auditorium, reception area
• Contacting other personnel such as Audio Technician, Set-up Crew, etc.
• Informing you of what is available for decorations
• Giving rehearsal ideas for placement of attendants, timing for processional, etc.
• Helping on wedding day by coordinating all the necessary details.

The wedding coordinator is not expected to attend or help with the reception unless it is held at Worship Center. In such a situation, the wedding coordinator is responsible to make sure the event runs smoothly.

The wedding coordinator will contact you to set up a time to get together to review what you have planned for your wedding day. This meeting usually takes place 2-4 months before your wedding day. Please be sure to complete the Basic Wedding Planning section of the Planning Your Wedding booklet before your meeting. Feel free to call her if you have any questions.

Facility Use

In order to use Worship Center’s facilities for your wedding/reception, a Worship Center pastor must officiate your ceremony. If you plan to use Worship Center facilities, the Family Ministries Administrative Assistant will contact you after your initial meeting with a pastor. Please read the Facility Use Guidelines document available below.
Facility Use Guidelines (PDF document)

[NOTE: There will be no weddings schduled July, August, and September of 2010 because of Worship Center's move to the new facility.]

Fees

Below is a list of fees associated with using Worship Center for your wedding and reception. A 50% deposit of total fee is needed to secure the date. Checks can be made payable to Worship Center.