Disappointed so many members of his congregation were ‘living in sin’ with no apparent intention to wed, one Texan preacher has taken matters into his own hands and offered them a free wedding, ceremony and all.
But, his research into why his parishioners weren’t married unveiled something surprising: It’s wasn’t that many of his couple’s didn’t want to marry – most of them simply could not afford to.
So, Pastor Tony Slough of the Cross Timbers Community Church in Argyle, Texas found a solution: He offered them all a free wedding.
From the wedding planner and photographer to the wedding ceremony and certificate of marriage, Pastor Tony offered to cover most of the cost of the weddings of anyone in the parish who wished to marry – and 21 couples jumped at the offer, taking part in a mass wedding last weekend.
“They would provide the cake, provide everything. That is amazing. I said ‘sign us up!’” one of Paster Tony’s parishioners, Lora, told CBSlocal.com, while another, Jon, added “This was a big help. We appreciate the church caring enough to help us. We love each other and wanted to take that next step.”
Among the 21 couples who wed at the church last Saturday were Bill and Diane Melder who said they’d wanted to marry for a long time but were waiting until they were debt to do so.
Had it not been for Pastor Tony’s offer, it may have been years before they would be able to afford to marry.
