1. OVERVIEW

2. Weddings shall be conducted in accordance with the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. [hereinafter, PC(USA) ] as ordered by the Session of Elders of FPCM (hereinafter, Session).
   1. The use of any and all parts of the church and/or grounds for any and all purposes shall require prior written approval from Session. No other parties, groups, or individuals have the authority to approve the use of the church. This includes, but is not limited to, the Pastor.
3. It is the desire of FPCM to be of service to those who are to be married and their families. For this to take place in the spirit of Christian love and grace it is vital that there be mutual understanding of what is involved in the ceremony and in the use of the church facilities, prior to any approvals or agreements to celebrate a wedding and/or reception at FPCM.
   1. The service of Christian marriage is an official rite of the PC(USA). As such, it is understood that all weddings celebrated at FPCM will conform to the Presbyterian theology; furthermore, it is recommended that weddings follow the stated ceremony of the PC(USA) or other Christian denominations in "full communion" with the PC(USA).
   2. Christian marriage is proclaimed as a sacred covenant which reflects the Baptismal Covenant. So everything about the service is to bear witness that this is a Christian marriage.
   3. If Holy Communion is celebrated FPCM' s pastor (hereinafter, Pastor) must officiate; furthermore, not only the husband and wife but the whole congregation are invited to receive communion. Everyone professing their faith in Jesus Christ who has been Baptized in the name of the One, Triune God is welcomed to receive communion whenever it is served; regardless of the church in which they have been baptized.
   4. Our church building and the church grounds, in its entirety, are God's house. Our congregation warmly welcomes everyone to God's house and  wants them to  feel welcome home whenever they come here. But we also ask that everyone respect that this is God's house and that it is to be treated with utmost reverence. This goes for: the care of the facilities and grounds; the spirit as well as the type of all planning meetings,

2. PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE AND RECEPTION I) Authority for Building Use Planning and Implementation:
   1. Session and Facilitator: Session has the sole authority for the approval of any and all uses of any and all church facilities, furnishings, and property. No such approval may be implied or conferred. Use requires prior written approval executed by the Clerk of

 

1. This includes approval of the exact dates and times that any activities may take place in the church or on church grounds.
2. This also include s the specific use, placement, adding, removing, or in any way altering any and all furnishings or property in or of the church or on church grounds.
3. Session reserves the right to revoke its approval in full or in part at any time that it solely deems it to be in the best interest of the church to do so.
4. Session confers to the Wedding Facilitator (hereinafter, Facilitator) all authority necessary for the management, planning and proper implementation of activities and church facilities relating to weddings and/or receptions.
2. Pastor: Pastor has the sole authority over the ordering and officiating of the worship service. Pastor and Facilitator will coordinate services in consultation with the families involved.
   1. The Pastor is the director of the wedding ceremony; all other personnel involved in the wedding will work under the guidance of the Pastor.
   2. Ministers other than the Pastor (hereinafter, minis ter) may participate in the wedding ceremony at the invitation of the Pastor. Ministers may be invited to participate with the understanding that the Pastor is the director of the service. This invitation is to be requested by the family at the time that the facility application is made. No arrangements by the family and/or minister participatin g in the service may be made without coordinating them through and receiving prior approval by both the Facilitator and Pastor.

2. Pastor: The family's initial contact meeting is with the Pastor. The Pastor shall determine if s/ he agrees to officiate at the marriage service.
   1. If the Pastor agrees to officiate the application and attachments are reviewed and completed for submission to Session for approval.
   2. Since the Pastor must officiate the wedding, Session' s approval for the use of the church will not be sought if the Pastor does not agree to perform the ceremony for any reason.
   3. While the Pastor has other criteria for evaluation of the couple' s request to be married, the fundamental requirement for the Pastor to officiate is that at least one of the parties being married must be a Christian since this is a Christian worship service.
   4. The couple desiring to be married must also agree to participate in conversations with the Pastor prior to the wedding date. These include:
      1. An initial meeting with the Pastor and Facilitator which should take place prior to the desired date for Session approval so the Facilitator can collect all necessary data for submittal to session for approval.
      2. The second meeting should be at least forty-five (45) days prior to the ceremony and is for pre-marital, pastoral conversations in preparation for entering the covenant of marriage. This will take two to four meetings, the last of which includes the Facilitator again to make the final arrangements for the wedding. The last meeting should take place at least thirty (30) days before the wedding.

 

3. Wedding Facilitator: The Facilitator will coordinate other meetings as necessary that may or may not include the Pastor in order to work out the details of the wedding and related events.
   1. Scheduling and Approvals: The Facilitator confirms through the Building and Grounds Committee Chair(s) that the dates and times requested for use of the church are available for the service and gathers other information necessary to make a recommendation to Session regarding their approval of the wedding and any related events as requested  in the wedding application. The formal request to Session is made through the Building and Grounds Committee.
   2. Authority: Any other wedding coordinators, planners, family members, etc. which the couple and/or family may utilize to plan the  wedding or activities at the church must work under the direction and authority of the Facilitator. The Facilitator has the authority from Session to revoke approval of the building use with the mutual consent of the Pastor for reasons such as: the building use policies and guidelines are not being met, their execution is resulting in undue conflict, deposits and/or fees are not paid in a timely manner, etc.
3. Support Personnel and Services: The Facilitator acts as the Pastor' s liaison in planning and communication with the musician( s), photographer, caterer, custodian, florists, and other designated and/or essential personnel. This includes the following mandatory personnel:
   1. A qualified sound technician from the church must be in attendance for all services in the sanctuary.
   2. A nursery attendant from the church must staff the nursery if the nursery is utilized for any service or event. Outside volunteers or paid personnel are not permitted without an approved church attendant present with them at all times.
   3. The church's custodian shall come after the service and events to clean and prepare the church for worship and other congregational activities. All clean up must be done as soon as possible.
4. Photography and Videos:
   1. Pictures cannot be taken during the ceremony but they can be taken before and after the ceremony. This shall be prearranged with the Facilitator.
   2. Videos may be taken if they are prearranged with the Facilitator and the camera is located as preapproved with the Facilitator.
5. Music: The music selected should be appropriate for a Christian Marriage service and must be discussed with the Facilitator as the ceremony is planned.
   1. The church organist and pianist will be available for an additional fee if they do not have other plans at the specific times and dates of the services.
   2. The musicians should be consulted as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for practice and establishing the dates and times their services are needed.
   3. If other musicians are desired the Facilitator must be told as soon as possible so

 

4. Any prerecorded music to be used must be communicated to and preapproved by the Facilitator in consultation with the Pastor and sound technician.
6. Building Access and Systems: The Facilitator has authority over and will also manage the facility access, lighting, sound systems, heating and cooling.
   1. Hospitality Committee: In addition to the worship leadership team a minimum of two

7. Furnishings and Decorations: None of the furnishings or fixtures are to be relocated and/or removed from their place without the prior approval of the Facilitator. Anything moved and/or removed must be returned to its original place. No FPCM property is to be removed from FPCM's facilities for any reason. The following restrictions and guidelines apply:
   1. Chancel furnishings may not be relocated.
   2. No tape, tacks, nails, or glue are allowed for any reason.
   3. Candles and their location must be preapproved by Facilitator and protective coverings must be used to protect the floor. Coverings must meet the approval of the Facilitator and any costs incurred for providing them are to be paid by the family.
   4. All decorations, flowers, etc. must be removed as soon as possible to facilitate cleaning and preparation for services and activities of the church.
   5. Any floral arrangements to be left for use in church worship services the following Sunday must be prearranged with the Facilitator at least ten (10) days in advance.
   6. Decorations must be appropriate for the sanctuary.
   7. Decorations for the Fellowship Hall must be communicated and preapproved with the Facilitator.
8. General Ceremony and Event Planning: The Facilitator assists in the planning, managing and executing the details related to the procedure of the ceremony. This includes but is not limited to assisting with placement of wedding party, their ingress and egress, and assisting the Pastor with the rehearsal.
9. Management of Deposits and Fees: The Facilitator arranges and manages the service fees and building use fees and deposits. The Facilitator will review the fee assessments and deposits with the responsible parties for the wedding at the mandated meetings.

3. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND GUIDELINES

1. General Building Rules and Guidelines:
   1. Building shutdown: Close and lock all outside doors, turn off all lights, (check the restrooms), and see that all heating and/or air conditioning units are set on after hour settings before leaving. (See #10 below).
   2. Under no circumstances are nails, tacks, staples, etc. to be driven into the pews, tables, walls, communion table/altar, pulpit, lectern, etc. for decoration or any other reason. (See further details under Section II.3.g.)

 c)Do not stand on chairs, tables, railings, benches, or pews in any part of the facility. If needed, stepladders or stools designed for this purpose are to be brought and used by the party or pa11ies using the facility.

4. Kitchen utensils should be washed, dried, and returned to their proper storage location. All appliances , counte11ops, and other kitchen facilities are to be cleaned after use. Check to be certain that stoves and ovens are turned off after use.
5. No alcoholic beverages are allowed on church premises.
6. Refuse and garbage shall be properly bagged and placed in containers outside the north kitchen door.
7. Porches, sidewalks, and church grounds are to be cleared of all birdseeds and debris.
8. The building and grounds shall be left clean and neat. They are to be picked up and cleaned so they are in as good as or better condition than they were before use.
9. The presence of and/or any consultation with FPCM' s facilitator, pastor, officers, members, and/or representatives about any and all damage  to or loss of any and  all church property in no way limits the sole liability of the party and/or parties given permission to use the church facilities and their responsibility to return any and all church property to as good as or better than original condition.
10. Nothing is to be moved and/or removed from its original place without the prior approval from Session or the FPCM Wedding Facilitator (hereinafter, facilitator). (See further details under Section II.3.g.)
    1. The facilitator has been approved as Session's representative for wedding rehearsals, ceremonies, and other related functions.
    2. Anything moved and/or removed shall be put back in its original location after each use of the facility.
    3. Under no circumstance is FPCM property to be removed from FPCM's facilities.
11. Only a church representative is to turn on/off and/or adjust the heating and air conditioning units. The wedding party, family, and/or guests are not to adjust any of the thermostats themselves.
12. Any and all damage to the facility, grounds, furnishings, etc. of the church is to be reported immediately to the facilitator.
    1. This includes, but is not limited to: spills on carpet, furnishings; marks on or damage to walls or furnishings; or any other spills, marks or damage which will require cleaning or repair.
    2. This is to be reported as soon as it happens and always prior to leaving the facilities.

2. Family Responsibilities:
   1. Children are to be supervised at all times either by the family, friends, or the FPCM nursery attendant. It is the responsibility of the family to see that the appropriate supervision for all children is provided.
   2. If children become unruly it is the family 's responsibility to see that they receive the supervision needed to restore order appropriate to God' s house, ensure that the children are not injured, and that church property is not damaged.

 

3. Limits on use of celebratory materials
   1. The use of rice, confetti, birdseed, etc. is prohibited anywhere inside the building.
   2. Only birdseed is permitted to be used outside the building to celebrate as the bride and groom leave or for any other celebratory purposes.
4. Access and limits of building use :
   1. Access is not allowed to the following areas:
      1. The upstairs/second floor portion of the building.
      2. The choir room
      3. The offices
      4. Sunday School rooms besides the Bride's and Groom's room and the nursery if it has been employed. The nursery is not to be used unless it has been reserved and paid for in advance to ensure proper supervision of infants and children.
   2. It is the family's responsibility to communicate this to family and guests and see that restricted areas are not entered.
   3. No food or drinks are allowed outside of the Fellowship Hall and the nursery. Under no circumstances shall food or drink be brought into the sanctuary.

4. DEPOSITS. TIME LIMITS, AND FEES I) Definitions:
   1. Members: For the purposes of required deposits and fees under this building  use agreement "members" are defined as those listed in the active and inactive rolls of the church. It also includes active members ' spouses, children, step-children, grand-children and step-grandchildren. It does not include other extended family members and friends.
   2. Deposits and fees: Deposits are collected at the time of the application and may be refunded if they are not required to cover actual costs. Fees are paid for actual use of church facilities and/or personnel and are typically not refunded.

2. Deposits:
   1. Sanctuary: A $150 deposit is required for nonmembers along with the completed application. There is not a separate sanctuary deposit for members; however, if facilities are damaged during the event and money is spent to make repairs the church reserves the right to use part or all of the "event personnel" deposit to cover these costs. This deposit is in addition to the "event personnel" deposit or any other deposits which may be required in relation to this event. The deposit is to be paid at the initial meeting with the Pastor and Facilitator for the use of the sanctuary.
   2. Event Personnel: A $150 "event personnel" deposit is required for nonmembers and $100 members. This deposit is in addition to the "sanctuary" deposit or any other deposits which may be required in relation to this event. It is also to be paid at the initial meeting with the Pastor and Facilitator.
   3. Fellowship Hall and Kitchen: Another $100 deposit is required for nonmembers and $50 for members if fellowship hall and/or kitchen will also be used. (Total deposit for using both facilities is $400 for nonmembers and $150 for members)

 

4. Deposit Refunds: The families hosting the event are responsible for leaving the facilities clean and free of any damage. The deposit will be refunded in full if there is no damage or excessive cleanup required.
5. Potential liabilities beyond deposits: The deposit is not a limit of liability. The couple and families  are  liable for al1 damages  and cleaning and agree to pay any costs the church may incur in excess of the deposit for repairs and clean up related to the use of the church facilities under this agreement.

3. Time Limits for Building Use and Services:
   1. Rehearsal: Two (2) hours for the rehearsal with an additional two (2) hours maximum if fellowship hall is used for the rehearsal dinner. This includes the rehearsal, the meal preparation and service, as well as cleanup.
   2. Wedding and reception: Two (2) hours prior to the wedding and one (1) hour for the wedding and 30 minutes for pictures after the wedding (3.5 hours total). An additional two (2) hours if the reception is held in fellowship hall. This takes in the 30 minutes for post-wedding pictures so the total time is five (5) hours which includes cleanup.

		4) Fees for Building Use and Services Within Set Limits: Item Description							Members		Non-members
		a) Sanctuary							No cost		$ 300.00
		b) Pastor ($100), Wedding Facilitator ($100),							$ 300.00		$ 300.00
		Sound Technician ($50), and Custodian ($50)
		c) Organist							$ 100.00		$ 100.00
		d) Pianist							$ 100.00		$ 100.00
		e) Nursery and Nursery Attendant (required if nursery used)							$ 25.00/hr.		$ 25.001hr.
		f)    Fellowship Hall and Kitchen (same if kitchen used or not)							$ 50.00		$ 50.001hr.
	Title:					Number
	First Presbyterian Church Mabank Property Use Policy-Wedding					FPCM	-6	-2
Approved  by Session 5/19/2019

 

WEDDING WORKSHEET
The First Presbyterian Church of Mabank, Texas
 
 
Date of Wedding:____________________________      Time:________________________
Date of Rehearsal:____________________________     Time:________________________
Bride's Name:_________________________________ Email:______________________________
            Address:___________________________________________________________________
            Phone: (wk) _____________________ (hm)__________________ (cell)________________
Occupation/School:___________________________ Normal Work/School Hours:______________
If you have children, Names & Ages:___________________________________________________
(Non Members) Bride's church/background______________________________________________
Do you want your minister or another minister to participate in the service? ______________(yes /no)
If yes please provide:
            Participating Minister's Name/Church:____________________________________________
            Church Address:________________________________ Church Phone:_________________
Bride's Parent's Name:_______________________________________________________________
Bride's Brothers/Sisters:______________________________________________________________
 
Groom's Name:_________________________________ Email:______________________________
            Address:___________________________________________________________________
            Phone: (wk) _____________________ (hm)__________________ (cell)________________
Occupation/School:___________________________ Normal Work/School Hours:______________
If you have children, Names & Ages:___________________________________________________
(Non Members) Bride's church/background______________________________________________
Do you want your minister or another minister to participate in the service? ______________(yes /no)
If yes please provide:
            Participating Minister's Name/Church:____________________________________________
            Church Address:________________________________ Church Phone:_________________
Bride's Parent's Name:_______________________________________________________________
Bride's Brothers/Sisters:______________________________________________________________