www.christdeaf.org
Christ Lutheran Church of the Deaf
Silver Spring, Maryland
Rev. Ronald Friedrich

Wedding Policy

Deaf couples who are making wedding plans usually search for a minister who can Sign, to officiate the wedding.

As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I limit my wedding services to couples who are already committed Christians -- for the simple reason that I ought not ask couples to make vows to a God they don't believe in.

Couples who do not worship Jesus may consider having a civil ceremony.

Process:
Before I officiate a wedding, I request that the couple meet with me at least four times for premarital counseling.

In preparation for our second session, the bride and groom each completes a questionnaire in which they share with me, and with each other, their past experiences and future expectations regarding family life. We discuss their written responses during the second session.  During the third and fourth sessions, we review some insight and counsel from the Bible regarding the marriage relationship.

I also want to meet with other members of the bride's and groom's families, to gain their perspectives on the couple's intentions to marry.  For a young couple, that means that I meet parents (if not in person, then electronically); for older couples it usually means that I meet with children from the couple's prior marriages.

Finally, I embark on the marriage preparation process with the understanding that any one of us - the bride, the groom, or the minister - can back out at any time before the wedding. (In our first session, I explain further what this means.)

Fees:
I do not charge a fee for officiating weddings or for the preparation process. However, if a couple decides to hold their wedding service at Christ Lutheran Church of the Deaf, or in the larger sanctuary of our host congregation, Calvary Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, there will be a fee for using the building. If a couple prefers another location in Maryland for their wedding service, I am usually able to accommodate their request.

Marriage License:
Before you can have a wedding, you must get a marriage license from the county court house in the county where the wedding service will be held.

Contact:
You may contact me at r.friedrich@juno.com. Put "wedding request" in your subject line. My TTY numbers is 301-251-5953.

Referrals:
For information about State marriage laws, marriage licenses, and civil ceremonies, check this site:

Ministers of various faiths who can Sign serve as volunteer chaplains to Gallaudet University. Contact information for each of them and the churches they represent are posted on the website of Office of Campus Ministries, at http://ocm.gallaudet.edu.

Home page:  www.christdeaf.org