Mass celebration of love a blessing in these painful times
This is a story that happens to take place during a deadly pandemic, but it is not a COVID-19 story.
The mass wedding for 52 couples at Community Bible Church on Saturday was a refreshing celebration of love and faith.
About 4,000 people watched it live online, and many others have watched it since then. I’ve watched the hour-long ceremony twice — and loved every minute.
Each couple has a unique story.
Together for seven years, Javanka Johnson and Charles Mcgee Jr. got engaged May 29 but didn’t have a clear plan of how or when they would get married. On July 20, a friend mentioned a challenge from his pastor, Ed Newton at Community Bible Church, or CBC, for men to marry their partners in a mass wedding.
“In the words of Beyoncé, I just looked at a group of dudes and said, ‘Hey, listen, it’s time to put a ring on her finger,’ ” Pastor Ed said.
Pastor Ed began the ceremony by welcoming the guests and encouraging them to get excited — don’t hold the applause.
“Get on your feet and show some love. Cheer and shout,” he told them. “Lose your ever-loving mind cheering not just for your couple but for all couples.”
And they did.
The couples, who were required to participate in premarital counseling, were incentivized. The church paid for their marriage licenses, and at the conclusion of the service, each couple received a “honeymoon gift” of $500.
The couples were diverse — young and old, and of all backgrounds. Some were parents who held their little ones throughout the ceremony. Two brides were pregnant. The couples all had their own flair — some brides and grooms wore traditional wedding dresses and tuxedos, others didn’t. But most beamed, their wide smiles showing their excitement.
One woman let go of her groom’s arm as they walked down the aisle, dancing and pointing at her engagement ring in joyous celebration. Beyoncé would be pleased. I can imagine her smile. Pastor Ed said he could imagine Jesus’ smile.
Before Pastor Ed described Adam and “the fashioning of Eve,” before he recited sacred marriage vows and led the couples in the exchange of rings, he told the brides they were stunningly beautiful — radiant — beaming in a way God made them to be. He thanked the “fellas on stage for being men of God and for loving their wives as Christ loved the church.”
The couples should be guided by love and commitment to each other and God, and “hear the Word of God that reminds us that what God puts together let no man divide us under,” Pastor Ed said. He also reminded everyone that marriage was “God’s idea” and that marriages can be complex and challenging, but the backbone of relationships must be communication, friendship and faith.
There was music, cupcakes and cookies, and a first song for couples. There were guests, but not as many you would imagine. Because of COVID-19 social distancing protocols by CBC, each couple was allowed about 20 guests, so some of Johnson and Mcgee’s friends and family who traveled from Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, Chicago, Colorado watched online and celebrated with the couple after the ceremony.
“I know a lot may think that sharing our day with so many others would take away from it, but it didn’t. Not only was it truly ours, but it was even more special because we knew everyone up there felt the same way we did,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the experience not only strengthened her bond with her husband, but it “elevated” her trust in God.
“Life is so short, and we all said ‘yes,’ ” she told me Tuesday through tears. “Tomorrow is not promised. We lived through a pandemic that we never thought would ever happen. I couldn’t be happier. It’s been a complete blessing.”
The celebration of love, commitment and faith is something we can all appreciate. I sure did. As we watched the ceremony online Saturday, my husband and I slow-danced along with the new couples as they danced to their first song, Etta James’ classic ballad “At last.”