Weddings, baptisms and Funerals at FUMC

Weddings at First United Methodist Church
First United Methodist Church is pleased to assist couples as they prepare for their wedding and as they prepare for their marriage. Please contact the church office to schedule your wedding. Members are given first consideration for wedding dates. We do, however, welcome one non-member wedding per month.

All who schedule a wedding will be asked to:

• complete a wedding schedule information sheet;
• pay the fees for the church;
• set a time to meet with one of the pastors. No wedding will be considered “booked” until the couple has had an initial meeting with a pastor.

Weddings will not be scheduled for the weekend of Easter. Weddings on other holiday weekends (Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas) will be at the discretion of the ministers. Only one wedding will be scheduled per weekend and each of our pastors will officiate at no more than two weddings a month. A minister from First United Methodist Church is expected to officiate at all weddings held in our sanctuary. If a guest minister is desired by a couple, these arrangements must be discussed with one of the staff ministers so that an invitation may, at the local pastor's discretion, be extended to the guest minister.

One of the Services of Christian Marriage from the United Methodist
Book of Worship will be used. The minister will discuss these services
with you and advise you as to any additions to the service you may
desire. In addition to helping to plan the wedding, the minister will
meet with the couple for pre-marriage counseling. The number of
sessions will be determined by the pastor in consultation with the
couple.

Other church staff who will be involved in all weddings at FUMC
include the church organist, a wedding coordinator, and the
wedding custodian. They will be present at the rehearsal and at
the wedding. To honor their time, the church will be opened three
(3) hours prior to the ceremony to allow the wedding party to dress
and to decorate the sanctuary. At the time that a wedding is scheduled at the church, the couple will be provided with the First United Methodist Church Wedding Booklet which spells out in great detail the wedding policies and procedures for our church. Careful attention must be paid to each guideline. As you plan for your wedding, it is our prayer that God, the Giver of Life and Love, will bless your lives as you look forward to the vows you will take in the very presence of God.

A wedding booklet is available as a pdf file

Baptisms at First United Methodist Church
Holy Baptism is celebrated for infants, children, youth and adults on an “as scheduled” basis. Three forms of baptism are available: sprinkling, pouring and immersion. Often the Sacrament of Holy Baptism is included in one of the Christmas Eve Services as well as during one of our Easter Celebrations. Contact the church office or one of the pastors for more information.

Funerals
Funerals performed at the church take precedence over all other scheduled activities. Arrangements may also be made for visitations and for fellowship luncheons.