The Remnant Fellowship just celebrated its 80th Covenant Wedding Ceremony…with each of those Unions happening since 2002! The beauty of the scenery, the love in everyone’s hearts, and sheer JOY of each occasion could be talked about endlessly, and each Wedding has had its own unique identity. What is more glorious than anything else about each individual Wedding has been the fact that each couple has the opportunity to BEGIN their Covenant marriages the RIGHT way…with a selfless mindset…with both husband and wife ready to serve GOD and take care of their spouse, truly, “til death do us part.” On May 11th we had the opportunity to take part in yet another amazing Wedding event, to see a marriage put together in the correct context, and to hear a message of Truth that was for EVERYONE…not just the couple getting married. 
We rejoiced in the union of ANTHONY RUBERTO and MAKENZIE HAYDEN! Let’s allow the words of Gwen Shamblin’s message…along with the testimonies from some of Anthony and Makenzie’s Wedding Party…paint a picture and tell the story not only of the Wedding day but ALSO of the appropriateness and upright manner in which Anthony and Makenzie were taught to conduct their relationship. It is a total glory to GOD!
Words from Gwen’s Message…
“The secret to relationships is not trying to find the right person— it is being the right person. When you make a covenant relationship as friends or spouse or in business, it is with those whose needs you can meet. You are not looking for someone just to meet your needs. The commitment is to be a friend, not the desire to have a friend. If you don’t have any friends then that is where you have gone wrong. ‘Relationship’ means the mutual sharing of life between two or more persons. We are not made to be islands, even if you are out there and say I don’t have any friends, and I don’t care. A foot cannot say to a hand, I have no need of you. God will humble you to you admit that you need the body of Christ – you need the foot and the hand, the whole package. We need each other, the community of the wholehearted. All men and women need relationships…friendships, love. True enjoyment in life is not found so much in what we do but in our relationships. If you do something for God – it is in pleasing Him that brings you joy more than the deed itself.”
Words from some of the Wedding Party…
“Anthony and Makenzie’s Wedding was a COMPLETE glory to God! The whole day was filled with peace and joy and love and because of Anthony and Makenzie’s patience and love for God first, their Wedding day was blessed beyond belief! The weather was an answered prayer, the dresses and suits were an answered prayer, the Covenant message was incredible, the music was amazing, and the whole night was far beyond anyone could have ever imagined. I loved getting to see Makenzie and Anthony put God first while planning their Wedding and having no expectations and then watching God come back in and bless the day. It was such an honor to get to witness such a Godly couple get married!” – Margaret Polivka
“Anthony and Makenzie both from the beginning of their courtship have been amazing examples of a couple devoted 100% to God, His Church, and to serving others. Their joy, laughter, and love for those around them is evident and contagious. God is not only glorified through these two, but is proven as a God Who is love.” – Briana Holmes
More Words from Gwen’s Message…
“How deep does the passion go for a God to create a universe and a world and put man on there to test hearts generation after generation to find love? That is what is going on – God searching for sold-out love. Think about this: this whole world experiment was set up by God to find true affection, true devotion, true worship. God describes Himself as love and furthermore as a jealous lover. In Exodus 34:14 He says… ‘Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.’ You could say it this way, ‘Do not love any other thing above me. My name is jealous. I am a jealous God for your heart.’ How deep is this adoration of God, the Creator of binding relationships of love that last forever. It was God Who describes His feelings… of how He cared for us so much that He rescued us and carried us to safety on eagles’ wings. God describes Himself as the husband defender and Christ as the groom and the Church as the bride. It is a union between God and man. It is too unfathomable and beautiful to fully comprehend.”
More Words from some of the Wedding Party…
“It was such a blessing and an honor to be a part of Anthony and Makenzie’s Covenant Wedding and the weekend of celebration. We love this couple so much and praise God for the upright and Godly lives they are living. As we have grown close to them in the last couple of years, their love for God first has been so evident, and their Vows were the perfect example. The entire weekend of events was blessed by God, from the blessing shower to the Wedding to the reception.” – Jason Hamilton
“I praise God for such an incredibly blessed weekend! I am honored to be so close to Anthony and Makenzie and I can testify that this couple is truly sold out for God and are being blessed because of it.” – Ellie Hamilton
“We give credit to Gwen for following God’s leading and studying God’s Word and teaching us how to train our children up as teenagers through the dating process and how to date properly while remaining pure, putting God first and staying under authority from the very beginning – knowing that if we trust God that He will bless it. We have gotten to witness this as parents through watching Makenzie and Anthony’s relationship with God and with each other and it has been very blessed.” – Mark Hayden (the father of the Bride)
And a few more Words from Gwen’s Message to close…
“What Moses received was a sacred tablet (that) was the 10 commands – After learning to adore your Heavenly Father first, then God wants you to devote your life to others, loving them like you love yourself. It makes so much sense…Think about it…are not you delighted when your children get along? – How much more does God want His people to get along? The last conversation Jesus had with His disciples… John 13:34 – ‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ This is no ordinary love He is talking about if the whole world is amazed about this love. How much deeper does this go? I know there is more. On Pentecost these Christ followers were baptized and then obeyed this command of Jesus. In Acts 2 it says they were together every day and shared all things and were honest and helped each other to live a life worthy of calling themselves Christ followers. What does this imply? These new Christians had it all – what the world is looking for in each generation. Do you know what they had? Meaningful relationships and all their needs met. All things were shared in common, and they talked about God. It says they met every day and were talking about God. Is that not the definition of love and why the world looked on in amazement at these early Christians?”
What a message, what a day, and what a celebration it was! If you haven’t checked out a Remnant Fellowship Wedding, you have an opportunity to join us THIS COMING WEEKEND – on Saturday, May 25th – as Mitchell Parsons and Jenny Roth are united in marriage. The Ceremony begins at 6:30pm, meaning that music will begin EARLY…at about 5:50pm. We invited you to take part in the joy! You’ll be blessed…AND you’ll learn to take your OWN relationship with GOD to the next level at the same time. Praise GOD for these Remnant Fellowship Covenant Weddings!
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“The secret to relationships is not trying to find the right person— it is being the right person.” Gwen Shamblin.