Rites of Passage –

Weddings, Unions, Child Dedications and Memorial Services

There is a long tradition among Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist ministers of performing Rites of Passage ceremonies, such as weddings, memorial services, and child dedications, for individuals and families who are not themselves Unitarian Universalists.  We perform such services for several reasons.  The first is that we view it as a public service, such as when families that are of multiple faith traditions, or who are of no particular tradition at all, seek to mark these turning points in our lives in a religious way.  Unitarian Universalist ministry has always been a public ministry, to the communities we live in as well as to the congregations that call us.  Whether your particular ceremony is best officiated by a Unitarian Universalist minister is something that can be discovered in a meeting with our Interim Minister, the Reverend David Pyle. 

Because each person, couple and family are different, we tailor and design each rite of passage to reflect that individuality.  Choosing as Unitarian Universalist Rite of Passage requires a significant level of involvement from the participants in both the planning and in the ceremony itself.  For weddings and ceremonies of union, this might involve pre-marital/union counseling sessions.  For child dedication ceremonies, it will usually involve an interview with the parent/s, and for memorial services it will involve a family story-telling session.  We highlight this expectation of participation because it may be different from the expectations of some other religious traditions. 

We do not require you to become a Unitarian Universalist, or to accept any particular belief or creed, to have a Unitarian Universalist officiated Rite of Passage.  We do, however, reserve the right to decide that something a family or individual wishes would best be performed by another tradition.  Our minister will discuss this with you.  Part of this discussion will be if you would like the service at our Fellowship in Midland, or in another location. 

Because a lot of work goes into the creation of a rite of passage ceremony, and because Unitarian Universalist ministers are called on often to perform these services, it is customary to charge a fee for the services to non-members of the congregation. Our fee or weddings and ceremonies of union is $300, with rehearsal $350, plus mileage if not in Midland County. A funeral or memorial service is $200, with committal $250, plus mileage if not in Midland County. Child Dedication ceremonies are conducted for a fee of $100 if conducted before or after Sunday Services at the Fellowship, and $200 if at another time.  The fees are negotiable in cases of hardship or other concerns; I would not want cost to be a barrier to my services.

For members and their immediate families, the services of the minister are part of being a member. 
Though it is not (yet) legal to perform same-sex marriages in the state of Michigan, we do perform Ceremonies of Union for same-sex couples.  Please contact our minister for details. 

If you are interested in having a Unitarian Universalist officiated Rite of Passage, please contact our minister at the Fellowship: (989) 631-1162, or by email: rev.pyle@gmail.com.

Yours in Faith,                                                     
The Reverend David Pyle, Interim Minister
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland is recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a Welcoming Congregation. We welcome, affirm, promote and celebrate the full participation of all persons in all of our activities without regard to age, gender, sexual orientation, race or any other such category of exclusion.

Please feel free to contact us with any feedback, corrections or questions at jaham1729@gmail.com