Celebrating Over 4,400 Years of Marriage

Special Report - February 9, 2009
Nearly 200 couples will renew their wedding vows at a Celebration of Marriage in Rocky Mount on the weekend of Valentine’s Day. Englewood Baptist Church is sponsoring the marriage renewal event on February 15 for couples married anywhere from one to 68 years. The day will begin with two morning services for 193 couples, celebrating over 4,400 combined years of marriage, to renew their wedding vows. The church will be decorated as though for a wedding, complete with reserved seating for the wedding parties and traditional wedding music. Attendees will also watch a video presentation of original pictures of the participants on their wedding days.

A reception will follow the services to allow a chance for participants and guests to celebrate with each other, while enjoying a number of wedding cakes and other foods. At 6:00 pm, five couples who have been married over 50 years each will participate in a panel to give “marriage advice.”

Dr. Michael Cloer, senior pastor of Englewood Baptist Church, sees the day as a way to “publicly celebrate the traditional, Biblical, and constitutional definition of marriage.” He says that “Christians have watched with sadness and horror as courts in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California have rendered their state’s marriage laws as unconstitutional in order to legalize same sex marriage. We want to stand up and speak for marriage as it has been defined since the beginning of our nation, and of civilization.” This event has been planned since the summer of 2008, but in light of the recent launch of the NC4Marriage campaign, Cloer said that Englewood members “are praying that our state General Assembly will have the courage to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot and allow the citizens of North Carolina to pass a Marriage Amendment to protect this endangered species called marriage. Our people will celebrate, educate, and then communicate with our elected officials that we believe in marriage between one man and one woman.”

NC4Marriage is also promoting two upcoming events for individuals and churches to participate in the statewide campaign to give North Carolina voters the opportunity to add the definition of marriage to the State Constitution. “Marriage Sunday” is scheduled on Sunday, February 22, a day on which pastors across the state are encouraged to preach about the sanctity of traditional marriage. In addition, a Marriage Rally is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3rd in Raleigh. Individuals, schools, churches, and organizations are invited to gather together on Halifax Mall behind the Legislative Building at the State Capital to take a stand for marriage and a marriage amendment in North Carolina. Afterwards, participants are asked to visit with their legislators to encourage them to support a State Marriage Amendment. More information on both events can be found at www.NC4Marriage.org.

Copyright © 2009. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.