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Minute on Marriage, August 2,1987The Penn Valley Meeting of the Society of Friends affirms the traditional Quaker concept of marriage as a special, committed relationship between two people who share their lives, a partnership between spiritual equals. We believe that such a partnership has religious dimensions and is appropriately solemnized in ceremony at an appointed meeting for worship before God and Friends. It is our belief that both the meeting and the partners are nourished when a celebration of marriage takes place within the meeting and that this mutual nourishment continues.We believe marriage is based upon a loving relationship and involves sharing on all levels spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual. Loving relationships are essential blocks in the foundation of the Society of Friends and undergird a just and peaceful society for all. Penn Valley affirms the equal opportunity of all couples, including members of the same sex, to be married within the framework of the meeting process. We recognize and accept that some couples may prefer terminology other than "marriage" to describe their union It is not the wish of the meeting to name the relationship, only to signify it. Penn Valley Meeting recognizes the Certificate o: Marriage signed by the couple and those present at the ceremony as the only public expression necessary to cer tify the marriage. A couple united in marriage under the care of this meeting who wish to legally certify their union will be assisted by the oversight committee. At the present time, it would, according to the laws of Missouri, be nec essary for one of these persons to be a member of the meeting. In marriage, as in all aspects of life, it is our wish ti recognize as fully as we can the Light Within us all through keeping open to the many reflections of that Light. |