52 couples have married in a mass wedding ceremony in Dallas following a call from their pastor to “put a ring on it”.
Pastor Josh Howerton preached at Lakepointe Church on marriage, and subsequently arranged for marriage counselling, and two weeks later the church held a wedding ceremony and celebration for all the couples who were convicted by his message.
A recent report by the Centre for Social Justice found that, in the UK, pensioners are now more likely to get married than young men, with the marriage rate a third lower for under-25s.
Loving conviction
Howerton challenged couples in his 20,000 strong congregation to get married: “If you’re living with somebody that’s not your spouse, you’re sleeping with somebody that’s not your spouse, or you’ve actually already started a family and had kids with somebody that’s not your spouse, and you right now are coming under the loving conviction of the Holy Spirit that you need to honour God, bend your knee to Jesus.
“Put a ring on it and enter into a covenant with a person that you’re already acting like you’re in a covenant with.”
The Senior Pastor told the couples that they would have the support of the church: “These people aren’t going to be judging you, these people are going to be cheering you on as you step forward into obedience in Jesus Christ.”
James Moore, who was one of the people who took part in the group wedding, said: “My fiancée and I ended up getting married after listening, we had kept putting it off and making excuses, but this message really lit a fire under us to finally get it done. We’re very thankful for the message.”
‘Lifetime’
Commenting on the UK marriage statistics, Revd Robert Byrne said in The Daily Telegraph: “There is never a perfect time to get married, or to have children. There will always be a good reason to continue putting it off – your finances, the stage of career you’re in, the cost of living, indeed, the cost of weddings – take your pick. But that has never been the point.”
“Marriage and having kids shatter the illusion that we are built to do life on our own. Both are a standing rebuke to the individualistic adage so often bandied around: ‘You do you.’”
Reflecting on his own marriage aged 25, he said the union has “truly been the opportunity of a lifetime. For my wife and I, marriage has been like a mirror. I see her, she sees me; at our best, and at our worst. We continue to grow together in grace, compassion, commitment and trust”.