Blake & Christine's Wedding
My focus over the seven years beginning in 2007 is multi-cultural ministry. Canada has been set in a significant place in God's Kingdom to reach every other culture in the world. I believe missional thinking should be a priority of our Canadian Churches. That's one of the reasons I looked forward to the wedding of Blake Wyatt (son of prominent members of Northside) and ChristineNguygen, (daughter of Vietnamese refugees) and also a member of our church family. I love Blake and Christine. We've enjoyed each other's company over the past year of preparitory interaction. They are both bright, quick-witted and leadership oriented. But for me the most enjoyable part of our long day was the Vietnamese Tea Ceremony held in downtown Vancouver at 11:00 AM. The ceremony is really the heart of a Vietnamese wedding. It's more about joining two families than only a man and a woman. It follows strict traditions which include the groom's family presenting gifts (a fifty pound roasted pig included) to the bride's family. If the girl's parents accept the gifts it is expected that they will give her to the other family. Thankfully the gifts were acceptable and Christine's family released their daughter to Blake. Finally inside the house, each of the groom's and bride's family members are offered tea by the couple in a ceremony of acceptance. Blake and Christine were smartly dressed in Vietnamese traditional clothes. The symbol which represents the groom is a dragon (protection) and a Phoenix (grace and beauty) symbolizes the bride. After the Tea Ceremony, we all headed to the elegant First Baptist Church on Burrard Street. For our Canadian ceremony I used the theme of Cinderella. Blake and Christine were delightful and striking as the Prince and Princess.The reception was a wonderful meal in the magnificently decorated Sutton Place Hotel. May God bless Blake and Christine over their next 60 years together.
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