First things first…

You should know that at Sojourn, we love weddings! The celebration of two lives coming together in the covenant of marriage is a celebration of the oldest ceremony in human history (Genesis 2:18-25), and it is one of the most beautiful celebrations we enjoy together as the body of Christ.

To quote one of our members and deacons, Misty Bartell:

“There are many wedding venues in Houston. 625 E 25th Street is not a venue as much as it is a home for its members, friends and neighbors. We congregate here for celebrations and family gatherings of all sorts. Most importantly we come to this place to witness and participate in covenants with God and with one another. Each week, in this place, all are invited to accept, renew and celebrate salvation and adoption into the family of God. On other occasions we come here to welcome new friends and neighbors into our family through baptism and by membership. We’ve left part of our sanctuary walls unfinished in remembrance of the believers who worshiped here before our family came to this corner of the Heights. The unfinished walls also remind us that God’s Kingdom is a work in progress. Every week when we walk into this space, some of us carry with us the remembrance of taking our own covenant vows here in baptism or in membership, and of watching others do the same. Others long for the day when our children and loved ones join us. Steve and I are reminded that we have been blessed to hear two of our children voice their vows of covenant marriage from the sanctuary stage. Weddings are among the most significant and joyful ceremonies celebrated at Sojourn. By choosing to marry at Sojourn Heights, you are not choosing a wedding venue that is particularly memorable or exceptionally beautiful by the world’s standards. Rather, you are choosing to say your vows to one another in a place that you have the opportunity to come back to frequently to be reminded, renewed, and reinvigorated to live out your covenant faithfulness to the Lord and to one another in the future, and to be a blessing and witness to the world outside these doors. Our prayer is that the beauty of the love of Christ will fill you, shine through you, and that others will glorify the Lord by seeing your deeds.”

As we consider the logistics of planning these celebrations, we are eager to work together with you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@sojournheights.org.

Peace be with you,

The Sojourn Heights Staff

Part 1: General Overview

Planning your Wedding at Sojourn

Step 1: Fill out the Wedding Inquiry Form (online): www.sojournheights.org/facilities.

Step 2: Fill out the Wedding Contract and Wedding Rental Agreement (if applicable). Information needed:

Confirm Your Officiant - We will need confirmation of your pastor/officiant before confirming your booking.
Confirm Your Coordinator - You will need to identify the point person who will be in charge of wedding day details and logistics.
Confirm your wedding time and estimated wedding size, including wedding party and wedding guests.
Confirm musical elements of your ceremony - specify live or pre-recorded music.
Confirm building representative. See below for our building representative policy.
(Non-members only) Submit Deposit to Complete Your Booking - If you are not a covenant member of Sojourn, you are welcome to rent our facility, and you will need to submit a $250.00 Reservation Deposit to secure your booking.

Step 3: Prepare for your wedding! Once your wedding date is confirmed and the facility is booked for your wedding, the rest of the preparation is up to you to complete prior to your wedding.

Schedule Premarital Counseling - Premarital Counseling is a strongly recommended prerequisite for a wedding at Sojourn Heights. (See section on Premarital Counseling, below)
Submit Contracts to Sojourn Staff. Please email any contracts you confirm with vendors to the staff person who confirmed your wedding in Step 2. This is helpful for us to be aware of for the sake of communication & logistics.
Submit Your Final Payment - If needed, we request receipt of your final payment no later than the beginning of the rehearsal, one day prior to your ceremony.

Part 2: General Wedding Details

Wedding Ceremony Guidelines

Sojourn allocates one hour for the wedding ceremony. This allocation is measured from the scheduled ceremony time to the onset of the recessional, not including pre-ceremony music or photography. Should the ceremony exceed one hour, there may be additional fees for overtime media services.

Choosing a Facility

While you are welcome to host your wedding at any location you choose, our facility is available for weddings. We are grateful to host weddings at our building free of charge for covenant members outside of necessary personnel (administrative, building rep, cleaning, etc.) and optional services, and with a rental fee for non-members.

Information regarding renting Sojourn Heights facilities for your wedding ceremony and/or reception, including fees, can be found in Part 3 of this document, below.

Role of Your Officiating Pastor

Maintains clear communication with the couple and Wedding Coordinator regarding his presence at the rehearsal and ceremony.
Confirms the completion of premarital counseling; connects with the couple who walks through the premarital counseling season with them after its completion.
Usually directs the wedding rehearsal, working in tandem with the ceremony coordinator. Example rehearsal structure:

Officiant: Welcome & opening prayer, hand off to coordinator
Wedding coordinator: places wedding party in appropriate positions
Officiant: Walks through a ceremony overview
Wedding coordinator: coordinates recessional and processional
Officiant: Closing prayer, turn over to coordinator for rehearsal dinner instructions

Develops and conducts the wedding ceremony.

A Christ-centered marriage ceremony is a service of worship, and all elements of your ceremony should be appropriate to that occasion. Your pastor will work with you to create a meaningful service which appropriately honors God and celebrates the covenant and union of marriage.

Has final authority over all aspects of the ceremony (including music, etc.).

While the different elements and overall structure of your ceremony are flexible and you as a prospective couple have a lot of freedom to make suggestions, your ceremony officiant is ultimately responsible for overseeing the flow and making decisions regarding the inclusion of different elements (readings, vows, unity ceremonies, songs, etc.).

Are guest pastors allowed at Sojourn Heights?

Guest pastors are welcome to assist one of Sojourn’s pastors or to conduct the ceremony in its entirety, pending confirmation of their ordination and approval from Sojourn’s elders in line with our confession of faith. All guest pastors must submit verification of their ordination to your Wedding Coordinator, and the Wedding Coordinator will confirm with Dods Pengra, one of our pastors (Dodsl@sojournheights.org).

What about weddings not held at Sojourn Heights facilities

A significant portion of this Wedding Handbook is devoted to important details concerning what it would look like to host your wedding at Sojourn Heights. With that said, we have also celebrated many beautiful weddings at other locations. In that case, the logistics from a Sojourn perspective are much simpler. If you invite a pastor from Sojourn to officiate your wedding, given that weddings are outside of the normal job expectations of our pastors, we do ask that you provide the following:

Officiant Honorarium $500 (standard)

Travel & Lodging for Officiant & Guest (if applicable) Varies

Role of Your Wedding Coordinator

May be a Sojourn recommended wedding coordinator or one of your own choosing.
Schedules the wedding, rehearsal, and related appointments.
Coordinates details with photographers, florists, musicians, building representative, Sojourn staff (as necessary), and additional consultants.
Serves as the primary point of communication with the engaged couple.
Ensures that Sojourn wedding policies are understood and followed by the couple, wedding party, family members, and vendors. Involved parties and vendors must agree at the outset of planning to adhere to all Sojourn policies.
Assumes responsibility for and authority over rehearsal and wedding day schedule in place of off-site coordinators or family members.
Manages wedding party regarding dressing, photography, and schedule.
Trains and coordinates ushers.

Music & Musician Options

Music is a wonderful portion of a wedding ceremony, and music for your wedding should be selected in consultation with Jenna David, Sojourn’s Director of Gathered Worship, at least one month prior to the date of the wedding. Jenna will help you select appropriate and meaningful music for your special day, as well as possibly helping you search for additional musicians and soloists, if desired and/or available.

If you are playing pre-recorded music and only need a face microphone (officiant) and handheld microphone (scripture readers), you may find a volunteer familiar with the basics of sound to run our sound system using EZ mode. If you would like live musicians for your wedding ceremony, a sound technician is required for the use of our sound system, due to the increased complexity and the sensitivity of our equipment.

If you wish to use pre-recorded music for any portion of the ceremony, you will need to provide either an ordered Spotify playlist or USB drive with mp3 files to play through the system, along with a detailed cue sheet for our sound engineer to use. With anything more complicated than pressing play at the beginning of songs, you will need to provide someone who will sit with the Sound Engineer in the balcony to cue and/or transition the songs using an external device.

Communion Policy

Requests to include communion service as a component of the wedding ceremony must be approved by the Sojourn Elders prior to the wedding date, which usually requires at least 3 months advance notification to make it on an elder agenda. Please note that if communion is included in a wedding ceremony, the elements must be offered to the entire assembly of guests.

Premarital Counseling

Sojourn strongly believes that premarital counseling is an important step in pursuing a healthy marriage. Rather than being a ‘program’ offered by the church, however, at Sojourn, our process for premarital counseling is self-directed by a prospective couple and takes place in most cases within the neighborhood parish.

There are five main components to premarital counseling at Sojourn.

Initial meeting - The process usually begins by reaching out and meeting with a married couple who are covenant members in your parish (may or may not be your parish leaders) to express intent and ask for their support in preparation for your marriage. No experience is required for them other than having been married for at least 3 years; if this is their first time walking through premarital counseling, please encourage them to reach out to Dods Pengra (dods@sojournheights.org) for resources and direction.
Personality assessment - We recommend that you complete a personality assessment to learn more about yourselves and one another for the purpose of growing interpersonal communication skills and awareness. (Unless you have a different preference, we recommend the Enneagram.) We encourage you to discuss this together with the couple who is walking through this season with you.
Book reading - It is helpful to read a book together that walks through fundamentals of marriage, along with giving practical discussion prompts for honest and helpful discussions both together as a prospective married couple and along with the couple walking through premarital counseling with you. (We recommend either The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller or Catching Foxes by John Henderson)
Group discussion - Either during or after the completion of your reading through this book, you will sit down with the couple who is walking through this season with you in order to discuss the material from the book thoroughly. This will usually take place over 6-12 sessions, including at least one gender-specific meeting for each fianceé. At the conclusion of your time, you will let your officiant know, who will have a brief conversation with both you and the couple who walked through this season with you.
Follow-up meeting - Because you will likely be walking through counseling with someone in your parish (and if not, someone else at your church), you will likely run into the couple who walked through your pre-marital counseling season with you regularly. At some point between 6-12 months after your wedding, though, we encourage you to reach out for an intentional conversation with them in review of how things have been going for you.

Marriage License

It is the responsibility of the bride and groom to secure a marriage license from the Harris County Clerk’s Office or the appropriate county of residence.

A copy of the marriage license should be provided to the officiant either at the rehearsal or on the day of the wedding, along with a stamped and addressed envelope for him to use to send it back to the county clerk. Alternatively, you may have your wedding coordinator bring the license to him for him to sign and then have your wedding coordinator ensure that it is sent to the county clerk.

Want to learn more about Sojourn?

If you are looking for a church home or interested in learning more about Sojourn, contact one of our pastors, Dods Pengra, at dods@sojournheights.org.

Part 3: Facility Rental Policy - Weddings

Using our facilities for your wedding

Thank you so much for expressing interest in using our facilities for your wedding! We are glad to make our space available to our members and neighbors for private event use.

Spaces available

Sanctuary

Beautiful natural light
Pew seating; max capacity 426 (375 comfortably)
Audio & Visual: State-of-the-art sound system designed for church use on Sundays, projector projects directly onto light wood paneling on stage
Accessibility: ADA Certified facility

Fellowship Hall

Beautiful natural light
About 2,200 sq feet of space (approx. 60’ x 37’)
Guest limit variable depending on arrangement of space. (120-200)
Food prep area with refrigerator, sink, and commercial coffee maker (no stove or oven).
Open floor plan (8 folding tables and 60 chairs available for rent)
Audio & Visual: music and other audio can be played through bluetooth, twin TV screens that can be casted to through Apple TV, wireless microphone available for use.
Accessibility: ADA Certified facility

Courtyard

About 5,000 sq ft of natural grass space.
Guest limit variable depending on arrangement of space. (120-200)
Accessibility: ADA Certified facility

Role of the Sojourn Building Representative

A building representative is required for all events at Sojourn Heights facilities, including weddings. Any covenant member of Sojourn Heights is eligible to serve as a building representative with prior approval from Sojourn staff, and unless they offer to volunteer their time, we ask that you provide them a fee of $50/hr for their presence. If you need help scheduling a building representative, please ask the Sojourn staff member you have been communicating with.

The building representative position is understood to be a ‘day-of’ role. If a Sojourn pastor is officiating your wedding, you do not need a building representative present at the rehearsal. If you need the building representative present for the rehearsal, please make arrangements directly with the building representative. Responsibilities include:

Before the event: Unlock the building, disarm alarm, and perform initial visual inspection of the areas to make sure things are adequately cleaned and put back at the conclusion of the event.
During the event: Monitor facility use throughout the event, remain available at all times to answer questions or address concerns that may arise. If any emergency issues arise during the event, communicate immediately with Sojourn Staff.
After the event: Perform visual inspection to ensure that the space has been tidied and things have been put back. If there are issues, communicate with the event coordinator to ensure this is completed. Finally, ensure that all exterior doors are locked, and arm the alarm system.

Media Services

In the event that you would like live musicians, Sojourn’s sound technician will provide sound services for your wedding ceremony at a rate of $350. The standard sound package provides one Sound Technician to perform the following services:

Microphone for 1 or 2 Pastors (Sojourn or Guest)
Mic Stand Microphone for Reader(s)
Sound Technician for Soundboard
Microphones and inputs for live musicians (e.g. violin, guitar, second vocal soloist, etc.). Musicians should consult Audio Engineer regarding necessary cables and/or amplifiers.
Should a Livestream be desired, an additional fee of $150 will be required for configuration and a livestream tech on the day of, pending availability of a Sojourn live stream tech. Alternatively, you are welcome to hire an outside video/livestream vendor, or ask someone to volunteer to set a device (phone/tablet/laptop) near the front to provide a livestream.

The sound technician will typically arrive one hour prior to the ceremony for set-up and sound check. Ordinarily, the sound technician will not be present for the wedding rehearsal. To request the sound technician to be present at the wedding rehearsal, please communicate with our staff. Should you wish the Audio Engineer to be present at the wedding rehearsal, an additional fee will apply.

Requests for media support in addition to those described above may require an additional Audio/Visual Technician(s) and additional fees may apply. Media services (and therefore musicians) should be confirmed one month in advance of the ceremony via the Wedding Coordinator for scheduling purposes.

Choosing a Date

Due to the observance of holidays and special events and the availability of Sojourn pastors and staff, requests for weddings desired to be conducted on the following days require special approval and may not be approved:

• Sundays

• Easter weekend (Thursday through Monday)

• Thanksgiving weekend (Thanksgiving Day through Monday)

• 1st and 2nd weekends of December

• Christmas Eve or Christmas Day

• New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day

• National holiday weekends

Of course, dates that are not listed above may be unavailable due to other church events or scheduling conflicts. Please note also that we occasionally decorate our facilities in line with the seasons of the church year. You may need to determine if the seasonal decorations will affect your event, if it is possible to remove the decorations, and, if possible, what fees are associated with their removal and replacement. In particular, Christmas décor will be in place from the start of Advent through the new year and will not be removed for any wedding event.

Choosing a Time

Due to the office hours of church staff, unless otherwise approved, we request that weddings scheduled on Fridays begin between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM.

Saturday weddings can begin anywhere between 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM.

Wedding ceremonies officiated by Sojourn pastors typically last between 25-40 minutes. As you plan your ceremony, please keep in mind that your ceremony is not to exceed one (1) hour in length.

Rehearsal Scheduling

If possible, the rehearsal should be scheduled between 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM the evening before the wedding. The rehearsal itself is typically directed by the ceremony officiant, and it usually consists of the following elements (with the typical responsible party in parentheses):

(Officiant) Opening welcome and prayer from the officiant
(Officiant) Reviewing the wedding ceremony
(Coordinator) Practicing the processional and recessional
(Coordinator) Usher training
(Coordinator/Officiant) If needed, an orientation of Sojourn Heights facilities and procedures

Please note that one hour is allocated for the rehearsal; it is important that your wedding party is present and ready to begin on time.

Scheduling Changes

If it becomes necessary to change the wedding or rehearsal time or date, please contact the staff member you have been communicating with as soon as possible. While we will make every effort to accommodate your request, we cannot guarantee availability.

Cancelation Policy

Sojourn normally refunds all fees paid to Sojourn Heights in the event your wedding is canceled, with the exception of any non-refundable expenses that Sojourn may have already paid, when canceled before the seven (7) day mark. If notice of less than seven (7) days is given, Sojourn will refund all deposits, less the base rental fee and any non-recoverable expenses incurred.

In the event of a cancellation, please send an email to everyone you have directly communicated with (staff, building representative, coordinator, worship director, etc.).

Decoration Guidelines

You are welcome to decorate the facilities for your wedding. We ask that flowers and decorations be appropriate to the occasion and tastefully appointed.

Floral arrangements should not be overly ornate or ostentatious, so as not to distract attention from the worship of God and sacredness of the couple’s vows.
Florists must not use thumbtacks, pins, nails, tape, or glue on any of the pews, furniture, walls, or appointments. Only ribbon, brackets, or wrapped wire that will not mar the wood may be used to fasten decorations to the pews.
All flowers and other decorations must be removed by the wedding party or your vendors immediately following your wedding in preparation for resetting the sanctuary for Sunday worship.
The most common cause for the loss of security deposit funds in the past has been the cost of removal and paint repair after hooks are used or left on the walls. Please be sure to abide by our policy in this regard!

The couple is responsible for communicating these guidelines to the wedding party and all outside vendors.

Photography & Videography Guidelines

Photography and videography are encouraged to capture your wedding. Sensitivity to the occasion is essential. For example:

Flash photography is discouraged during the ceremony.
The placement of cameras should be limited to unobtrusive locations.
If you hire a videographer, he/she is responsible for his/her own audio. If so desired, the videographer should provide his or her own microphone recorders for the bride or groom. All pastors, musicians, and speakers will have microphones from Sojourn. Cables and adapters are the videographer’s responsibility. We may not be able to accommodate requests made at the time of the wedding, so be sure to prepare in advance.
The use of drones is prohibited inside the church.

Clean Up

Following the conclusion of your event, we kindly ask that you ensure all areas used are left clean and orderly, and that any moved furniture, supplies, or facility contents be replaced as you found them. Trash should be disposed of appropriately in the dumpster (or designated area), and any items brought in should be removed. Any items left behind after the event will be discarded.

Deliveries

Due to the active scheduling of our facilities, please check with the Sojourn staff member you have been communicating with to confirm the time that vendors may decorate or make deliveries. Dresses, flowers, and decorations may be delivered to the church on the day of the wedding; however, they are considered to be the responsibility of the wedding couple/party.

Gifts

In the event that gifts are brought to the church, please appoint someone to receive and be responsible for the gifts. Sojourn is not responsible for gifts left at the church.

Alcohol Policy

Alcohol consumption in Sojourn’s facilities, if approved, is limited to the fellowship hall and courtyard areas and must be approved beforehand by Sojourn. If applicable, no individuals below the legal age required for alcohol consumption shall be permitted to consume alcohol at any time at the Facility, and alcoholic beverages sold to guests must be provided by a bartender who holds all required licenses.

There can be no consumption of alcohol in the parking lot areas. Failure to comply with the Alcohol Policy will result in loss of the Security Deposit and possible further action.

Smoking Policy

Smoking is not permitted anywhere on Sojourn property, including in the parking lots. Failure to comply with the Smoking Policy will result in loss of the Security Deposit and possibly further action.

Ushers

Sojourn asks that you designate members of your group to serve as ushers. At least two persons for a Sanctuary wedding is preferable. Ushers will assist in graciously welcoming and seating your wedding guests. It is helpful if ushers are familiar with the families of the bride and groom.

Dressing Rooms

Sojourn has limited facilities for the wedding party to dress and prepare for the ceremony. A bride’s room is available, complete with an adjacent restroom (Office). Designated rooms are available for the groom and his attendants to dress and prepare (Counseling & Cry Room). We encourage you to secure all valuables left in these rooms. Sojourn is not responsible for valuables left in the bride’s rooms or other dressing rooms.