There is a problem with the Church.  Actually, there are a lot of problems with the Church, but the one I am thinking of is that the Church is not very user friendly.  If you think about it, the Church is one of the few institutions that exists to provide a service and has the arrogance to insist it will only provide the service on its terms, at its location, and refuses to answer questions about its policies.  The excuse the Church would offer for this behavior is that it is only following the will of God.  As one who has spent many years studying and serving in the Christian tradition, I can tell you that the Church's rules are most often the product of the will of human beings who try to attribute their attempts at control and manipulation to God. 

At Prince of Peace, we strive to provide ministries that recognize some realities of contemporary society.  The first reality is that the days when everybody worked from 9-5, Monday through Friday are long gone.  Those of us who do ministry simply must be able to meet with folks during the hours they are available.  Consequently, evening and weekend appointments are not a problem, and are often preferred as our ministers have both secular jobs and responsibilities in their own congregation. We will always endeavour to meet at times that are mutually acceptable to all.

The second reality we recognize is that many people do not have a Church affiliation and still desire to have a member of the clergy officiate at their wedding or union, baptize their child, or perform a funeral for a loved one.  We believe it is tantamount to emotional and spiritual extortion to require people to join a Church as a condition of clergy providing Sacraments.  Ultimately such an attitude assumes that the Church owns God.  It is arrogant and offensive, and it also alienates people from the Church.  Consequently, we have no requirements regarding Church membership for any of our services.  Of course, when you are ready to look for a faith community we hope you will consider us, but that is neither a requirement nor an expectation.  There are "no strings attached" to working with us!

Of course, we do have some requirements and standards.  We are ethical, ordained clergy who behave with integrity.  We do not engage in illegal or immoral activity.  We are unable to celebrate wedding ceremonies where we have reason to believe that abuse occurs in the relationship, or if we believe people are not entering into a marriage of their own free will, or if we believe the relationship is destructive in some other way, or if the couple being married do not intend to engage in a monogamous relationship.  We are unable to perform a baptism without the permission and participation of the parents.  There may be other unusual circumstances under which we would be unable to assist with your ceremony, but we would always communicate those situations to you clearly and willingly discuss them.

Another word regarding weddings and union ceremonies. We affirm the right of all people to pursue and celebrate a commited relationship with the partner of mutual choice, regardless of gender.

Please email Rev. Mother Melissa or Rev. Roger (serving the Anniston, Alabama area) with any questions.