Please read below for details regarding Weddings, Baptisms and
Funerals at our church.

Weddings

Emmanuel Church welcomes couples who seek to solemnize their relationship in the sacrament of Holy Matrimony.  We view marriage as a wonderful gift from God. A married couple, by the way they fulfill their marriage vows, will love, honor, and nurture each other. But in Christian marriage, the relationship is also meant to be for others — an example of what it means to be loving and faithful to another human being.

Prior to conducting a marriage, the Epsicopal church requires pre-marital counseling, either by the officiating priest, or an approved marriage counselor. Our service of Holy Matrimony can be found in the Book of Common Prayer, pg. 435. Typically, our Minister officiates at weddings. With his approval, other Episcopal clergy are welcome to officiate at a wedding held in our church. Regardless of who officiates, at least one member of the couple must be a baptized Christian. Second marriages are allowed in the Episcopal church at the discretion of the officiant with permission of the bishop. Those being remarried are required to attend counseling sessions for an extended period of time.

More detailed guidelines for weddings at Emmanuel Church may be found here.

Baptisms

Through baptism one becomes a member of Christ’s Body, the Church. Baptism is not agreeing to an intellectual proposition; nor is it joining a club or social organization. It is incorporation in God’s own life. In baptism we are assured of acceptance as God’s children and are marked, claimed and made God’s own.

The Episcopal Church teaches that infants, children and adults may be baptized. In baptism we receive a precious gift, God’s gift of eternal love. Baptismal vows are made on behalf of infants or young childrenby their parents and sponsors. Older children and adults make their own promises.

Baptism is typically a corporate act appropriately administered within the Sunday Eucharist with the gathered community. In the service of baptism, the gathered community joins in welcoming a new member into the body of Christ, the Church.

In special circumstance, however, private baptisms may be arranged with the approval of the Minister.  More detailed guidelines about baptism may be found here.

Funerals

In 2008, Emmanuel Church created a Memorial Garden just behind the church building, which was consecrated in June 2009.  It was designed to provide a quiet, contemplative, and sacred space for meditation, dedicated to the memory of those we have loved. We also intend it to be a place to delight in God’s presence, thankful for the beauty of creation. The garden was designed by Max Callender with the generous help of Mimi McDougal and many other women in the Church.

The ashes of any baptized Christian affiliated with Emmanuel Church are welcome here. Arrangements for interment are made by contacting the Minister and completing the application form. Upon approval, the Minister will plan an appropriate memorial service. At the time of interment, ashes are removed from the receptacle and buried. The names of those interred will be engraved on a plaque placed on the back of the church as well as in a Memorial Book.

The Memorial Garden is a holy place for reflection and solace. There are to be no urns, containers, markers, bushes, trees or other objects in the garden without the approval of the Minister and the Trustees.

Fees are reviewed annually by the Minister and Trustees. Currently there is a charge of $1500. Monies will be placed in an endowment fund used for the maintenance of the garden. More detailed information about interment and funerals may be found here.