By BosNewsLife News Center
LONDON, BRITAIN (BosNewsLife)– A church in southwestern England planned to celebrate Friday’s wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton with a difference by inviting local married couples to renew their vows.
St Andrew’s church in Cullompton, near the city of Exeter, said it would offer married couples in the area the chance to “relive their big day” and renew their vows during “two unique” church services.
Invites to the services were to be handed out during a street party that the church is hosting on the day of the royal wedding on Friday, April 29.
“Church needs to be relevant in society and tap into what people are already thinking about,” said Reverend Edward Hobbs of St Andrew’s. “Whilst we celebrate this happy occasion as a nation, we would also love to honor those in our community who have been married for a long time and celebrate them too.”
ROYAL OPPORTUNITY
He also said the royal wedding was an opportunity to “encourage people to think about the significance of their own marriages, relationships and consider a faithful God.”
It also comes amid reports that devoted Christians in Britain face at least in some cases difficulties at their work places, for instance for wearing a cross on their clothes or in a company van.
The evangelical organization HOPE, which encourages churches, said it hopes the initiative will make Christianity more understandable to a larger public. “It is vital that the church points to Jesus in a relevant and understandable way,” said Hope Executive Director Roy Crowne.
“I love this idea. It is exactly the kind of missional thinking that we need. Strong marriages and relationships are important and this is also a way to demonstrate that God is faithful and loving.”
