We are delighted you are considering First Presbyterian Church of Lakeland for your wedding ceremony.
A Christian wedding service in this church is a service of worship in the house of God. A wedding, the door by which a couple enters into this meaningful relationship, should be one of the most sacred and happiest moments in all of life.
Christian marriage is a covenant relationship made by a man, a woman, and God.
All weddings performed at First Presbyterian Church are religious in nature and based on the awareness that our Lord, Jesus Christ, is a participant in the relationship and in the blessing of marriage. To say that you desire your wedding to take place at First Presbyterian Church is to say that you desire to include Christ as a partner in your marriage.
Weddings are open to First Presbyterian Church members and their families. All weddings at First Presbyterian Church, and all weddings conducted by ministers of First Presbyterian Church, must be approved by the Session.
We are a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and follow the guidelines of the Directory of Worship, which is part of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). A copy is available upon request from the church office. The following is a paragraph from the Directory of Worship (W-4.9000, 1995-1996):
“Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage is a civil contract between a woman and a man. For Christians, marriage is a covenant through which a man and a woman are called to live out together, before God, their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage, a lifelong commitment is made by a woman and a man to each other, publicly witnessed and acknowledged by the community of faith.”