While many young couples in this day and age are not choosing the bond of marriage and the marriage success stats are bleak, God continues to bring together and build strong, lasting and beautiful relationships in our Church community…Jared Peters and Abigail Sroda are the 112th couple to be married in Remnant Fellowship Church! As with all of the preceding weddings in the Church, the days leading up to the Covenant Wedding are joyful and celebratory, full of beautiful preparations that are seemingly quite extensive. Our weddings have the appearance of rivaling the most expensive elsewhere, however Remnant weddings are accomplished entirely by the volunteer efforts of Remnant members. The selflessness in each volunteer’s heart is through the roof…flowers, cakes, food, music, sewing and even fireworks… every single element is accomplished through the  God-given talents and generous hearts of Church members.

 

Spirit-led Decorating by Joyful Volunteers

Let the decorating begin! On Thursday May 12th, Remnants members got together and used their gifts to prepare the Church building for the Peters/Sroda Covenant Ceremony. There were groups doing banners, cleaning, putting up tents, preparing flowers, and building the huppa amongst many other tasks. The Church soon festooned in pinks and whites all for God’s glory. There is such peace on nights like these as God’s Spirit moves through the heads of the decorating committee, Gwen Shamblin, Elle Shamblin, Amy Stites, and Lisa Peters (also mother of the groom in this case).

“It is such a joy and honor to be a part of the decorating committee! Gwen has led the example in how we should use our gifts and talents to help one another. Every Wedding is special and magnificent, as God always gives the most beautiful ideas. Then to see hundreds of volunteers donate their time to make it all come together is incredible!”

-Elle Shamblin 

Men, women, youth and even the children all laugh and shared throughout the grounds as they went about their work. God truly does make giving up your time a joy and a blessing! By Saturday morning, more volunteers arrived to complete the finishing touches…and the already gorgeous property transformed to something even more  marvelous, a feast for the heart and eyes!  The colors for this Covenant Wedding were black, white, blush, and champagne.

“There have been over a hundred Weddings at this Church in just a few years’ time and it’s absolutely amazing how every Wedding is unique!  We love working together, volunteering our time and watch how God takes care of every detail.”

-Amy Stites

 

Friday Night “Wedding Celebration”

A tradition in Remnant is to gather together on the evening before the Wedding for a “Wedding Celebration,” to honor the couple and give praise to God for all He has done.   Jared and Abigail’s Wedding Celebration took place in the lovely home of Remnant Fellowship Church leaders, Patrick and Amy Stites, who have been dear friends of the groom’s parents, Cliff and Lisa Peters, for many years.  The Jared and Abigail had met at the Stites home approximately one year earlier at a Church event and then became engaged at their home months later…. so it was very meaningful and special  that the Patrick and Amy hosted the Friday evening “Wedding Celebration.”

The beautiful testimonies  about Jared and Abigail’s lives were genuine and sincere… describing their devotion to God and selflessness in serving others from what they have learned through the teachings at Remnant Fellowhship Church.   Andrew Langsdon was the first to get up and testify. Having grown up in Remnant together, Andrew and Jared have known each other for most of their lives. Andrew said it is “an honor to be a close friend of Jared’s.” When Andrew asked around for a single word to describe Jared, everyone said “loyal.” Kris Kubachar spoke after Andrew. He talked about how Jared is a fantastic friend and is always quick to serve. “He is selfless and always willing to help other people,” said Kris. Hannah Travis and Angela Ruberto got up next to testify about Abigail. Hannah and Abigail have been friends for two years, but she says it “feels like we’ve known each other forever.”

After testimonies from the wedding party and family, Jared and Abigail both testified about how all the credit for their relationship goes to God and the more their relationship with God grew, the more their relationship with each other grew. Gwen Shamblin closed the celebration with powerful and loving words of how we need to give all the credit to God, “We can thank the parents for raising godly children, but it’s all God…all wisdom comes from above. We all have brains, but all knowledge comes from The Source. Marriage comes from God, he created it and all the credit for it goes to Him!”

Covenant Wedding Ceremony

The display of sheer beauty seen at this wedding was in the ceremony itself. At Remnant, our Wedding ceremonies are our Sabbath worship Assemblies and God orchestrated a perfect day for this beautiful holy occasion with every detail. The evening began with the Remnant bell choir as they  rang beautifully alongside the Remnant Chamber Orchestra. One after another, God blessed each note and the melody rang through the sanctuary. Song after song was played and sung and a wide range of Remnant music was presented to God during the prelude…from B.B. and Miley Barcus’s “My Everything” to “May All Our Alleluias” by  the Remnant Choral Group and then the Remnant Children’s Choir singing “Glory to God,” God’s presence was truly felt.

A tradition in Remnant is for the bride and groom to write their own personal vows of commitment…and Jared and Abigail’s vows could be summarized by saying that  both stated their resolve to point each other to a life of righteousness by putting God and His will first. The groom’s father and longtime Remnant Fellowship member, Cliff Peters, led the ring exchange, where the couple shared physical symbols of their love and faithfulness to eachother. This was followed by a Covenant message delivered by Gwen Shamblin that was applicable to all those attending locally and via webcast. 

The couple then signed the Wedding Covenant, witnessed and signed by leaders of the Church as well. Also a tradition in Remnant Weddings is a time where the Church congregation recite vows of accountability, promising to love Jared and Abigail and hold them accountable to “purity of heart, wholehearted devotion, and total obedience to the Lord God almighty.” The ceremony concluded with love and praise to God, and nothing but joy and celebration!

The reception for Jared and Abigail was a beautiful affair …amazing food, fellowship, and so much joy!  Shortly after the cake cutting, the Sanctuary transformed into a dance hall…filled wall to wall with people praising God with their dancing as all ages had the time of their lives.

A Remnant Fellowship Covenant Wedding wouldn’t be complete without a proper send off! As the reception started to draw to a close, Jared and Abigail’s close friends gathered around them in the Sanctuary for last pictures, hugs, and well-wishes. Everyone else went out the foyer doors to line the front walk, excited to send the couple off with a bang!                      The anticipating chatter picked up as the first sparklers were lit and light spread down the sidewalk like the unrolling of a red carpet. Met by their family at the “getaway” car, the new Mr. and Mrs. Peters then exited the Church property driving through a magnificent display…a tunnel of booming pink fireworks that lit up the clear, crisp night sky! As the last of the fireworks faded, everyone headed back inside to help clean up after a wonderful and glorious celebration and night of praise to God!

Testimonials:

Mark & Therese Marie Jost:

“Friends with the Peters family since 1986, and finding the life-changing message together of truly knowing how to lay down sin in 1998 through WeighDown, God has blessed our families with love for one another that has allowed us to experience weddings of our children that are unified in serving God and advancing his kingdom.Gwen Shamblin has been personally involved in our lives, guiding us in love for one another beyond what we were able to attain outside of devoting our hearts to God at a level of 100% pure obedience to God’s commands.  It is only through her love and example of selflessness that we are able to be unified in Christ.  The joy and happiness we have together in witnessing our children get married to spouses that are unified to put God first is beyond anything we could have ever imagined. The handsome character of a young man that has chosen purity over the world, the beauty of a young lady’s heart adorned with the fruits of the spirit, the unified bond of a friendship that could only exist because of eradication of sin, is truly experiencing what our beloved messenger calls “Heaven on Earth.”  We are forever grateful with hearts that have been set free to love.”

Hannah Travis (Maid of Honor):

“Getting to be involved in a Remnant wedding was the most unbelievable experience I have ever had the honor of being a part of! Throughout the entire planning process, which was just 4 months, God’s hand was over it all, only God could put together something that amazing in such a short amount of time! I got to watch Abby become more and more peaceful the closer it got to the wedding, which is something you don’t see in weddings outside of the Remnant! It was nothing short of a miracle and it’s something you just have to see for yourself!”

For photos from other Remnant Weddings visit www.RemnantFellowshipWeddings.com

Marriage Resources from Remnant Fellowship Church:

“A Peaceful Marriage – You Be the Constant”

In this powerful 1-hour audio CD, entitled “A Peaceful Marriage- You Be the Constant,” learn how to have a successful and strong marriage regardless of your circumstances. More info here

 

“A Selfless Marriage”

This one-hour audio CD entitled “A Selfless Marriage” can change even the hardest of marriage situations. Putting into practice the godly principles taught in this CD will bring you closer to God, your spouse and refresh your outlook on your marriage. More info here