"The greatest of these is love…"
The church is a wonderful place for a wedding, but it is even a better place for a marriage!
Because St. James' has been blessed with a beautiful physical church building that is located in the heart of historic Leesburg, our parish office receives about five to ten phone calls each week about the availability of the church building to "hold a wedding." However, the people of St. James' believe that marriage is a Sacrament which must be entered into, and lived out, within a community of faith.
Therefore, while questions about the availability of the church building are important, they are rightly asked only after other questions have been asked and answered. For example:
• Why Christian marriage?
• Why this particular community of faith?
• Why get married at this point in my life?
• What is my commitment to God and the church?
In other words, St. James' does not under any circumstances "rent" the church as a wedding location. Persons without church affiliation or who have no intention of living out their marriage in the context of a faith community are more appropriately married by a civil authority.
At the same time, St. James' always welcomes new members, and heartily welcomes couples who are sincerely searching for a church home. The best way to determine if St. James' is the faith community in which a couple wishes to live out their vows is for the couple themselves to worship with us a few Sundays (information about our three different services is available HERE), and then pick up a copy of our wedding brochure titled "The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage" from the Church Office. This brochure explains the details of required membership classes, pre-marriage counseling requirements, and other policies and guidelines of St. James'.