Since you may be “checking us out” to see if we’re the church for you to be married in, the first thing we’d like for you do is join us for worship on a Sunday morning at 8:00, 9:30, or 11:00am. If you’d be more comfortable in a relaxed, informal style of worship, try the 9:30 service. If you prefer something more formal and traditional, try the 8:00 or 11:00 o’clock services. It’s important for you to get to know something about us, and this is a great way to see if we are a fit for you.
After you have visited with us, please feel free to contact our Wedding Coordinator, Susan Pardue at 813-689-4161, to make an initial appointment to discuss dates the church is available for your wedding. We want to get to know you and assist you in your journey to have the best marriage possible, so one of the pastor’s will want to meet with you about a number of issues like your families of origin, finances, hopes, dreams, styles of relating to one another, relationship with Jesus Christ, church involvement, and anything else that we deem helpful. We don’t do you any favors by failing to discuss difficult issues!
In 2009 many couples “put the cart before the horse.” In other words, they have sex, choose to get to know one another better, be in a committed, exclusive relationship, and then get engaged to be married. In the Bible, God’s desire for us is to wait to have sex until we are married. God knew from the beginning this wouldn’t be easy, but God also knew it would be worth it.
The Discipline of the United Methodist Church affirms that “sexuality is a good gift from God,” and that “sexual relations are only clearly affirmed in the marriage bond.” If you have not had sex with one another, way to go! We want to support you in that decision as you approach your wedding day. If you have already had sex with one another, we’d like to invite you to abstain from having sex between now and when you are married. We can never undo the past, but we can have fresh starts and go in new directions with God’s help. As you seek God’s blessing on your marriage, you will be grateful for this commitment in the long run. Talk about it with one another. Pray about it. If you choose to have your wedding at First United Methodist Church, we look forward to walking with you through the process.
May God richly bless you,
Pastor Jamie Westlake Pastor Matt Wallis