Weddings at St. John's

St. John's is a beautiful, historic church, as you can see from the photos in the sidebar. St. John's has the most complete set of church windows by Davis & Chambers, who most famously created the great stained glass windows at Union Station downtown.

We get many inquiries about whether or not we "do" weddings for members of the wider community. The answer is a qualified "yes." A wedding is only the formal beginning of a couple's marriage. A wedding is a sacramental rite - the outward and visible sign of the inward, spiritual, God-centered, life-long covenant that two persons are making to each other.

In order for Pastor Teresa Mithen to officiate at the marriage of a couple who are not yet members of St. John's, a couple must complete at least four sessions of pre-marital counseling with Pastor Teresa, plus at least two other sessions to discuss the wedding and marriage (at least six sessions total). The workbook that is used for pre-marital counseling is called The Marriage Journey by Del Glover and Linda Grenz. It is available at www.churchpublishing.org.

If this is a second marriage for one or both members of the couple, things are more complicated because Pastor Teresa would need to work with the couple to complete a Petition to Remarry, which must be approved by the Rt. Rev. G. Wayne Smith, the Bishop of Missouri, at least two months before the wedding.

The donations for a Saturday wedding in 2008 for folks who are not yet members of St. John's are

• $150 to Pastor Teresa for her time on Friday & Saturday

• $500 to St. John's (as compensation to St. John's for Pastor Teresa's time preparing for the wedding)

• $300 to use St. John's main church for the wedding (not air conditioned) -includes basic set up and clean up by cleaning staff

• $100 to use the St. John's parish hall (air conditioned)

• $150-$200 for an organist arranged through St. John's

• Donations for use of space (main church & parish hall) may be designated to St. John's Discretionary Fund (to help individuals and families pay their bills & buy food), to the Peace Meal Project (St. John's feeding ministry), or for the ongoing restoration of the stained glass windows and other capital improvements.

• All of the pictures in the sidebar are by Tim McDermott, at the wedding of Jennifer Bradburn & Jon Harman on September 1, 2007.

• NOTE: For Members of St. John's Pre-marital instruction and weddings for members of St. John's are FREE. Members are "communicants in good standing," who participate regularly in the life of St. John's through worship and offerings of time/talent/money.