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In the News: Once More for Good Measure Saturday, September 20, 2003 BEN CUNNINGHAM What does it take to make a marriage work? It's a question as old as marriage itself. Sunday at the First Assembly of God Church, 4570 Mackinaw in Saginaw Township, answers are likely to the run the gamut. More than 30 couples will renew their wedding vows during the church's 10:30 a.m. service. "We may have even more by Sunday morning," said the Rev. Fred Smolchuck, the church's pastor. "We've done this in the past, but not in the last few years." Smolchuck, who is celebrating his 40th anniversary with wife Jetta, says modern attitudes toward marriage helped prompt the ceremony. "Marriage seems to be under attack lately," he said. The renewal ceremony will encompass the young and the old, from couples married for more than 50 years to one pair together for three weeks. "It hasn't seemed that long," said Florence H. Braun, 82, of Auburn, whose union with Reinhold Braun, 86, has lasted 57 years. The Brauns' secret? "We had a stable Christian home," she said. Steve D. Flora and Shari E. Smolchuck-Flora, both 26, of Saginaw Township were married in a private ceremony less than a month ago. Shari is Smolchuck's daughter. "I think it's so exciting," she said. "Sometimes after a while, people forget what they vowed to do." The couple will sport full wedding attire, including a tuxedo and a 40-year-old wedding dress previously worn by Smolchuk-Flora's mother. A reception after the ceremony no doubt will feature some interesting discussions about marriage. "So far, so good," said Shari Smolchuck-Flora of her 3-week-old marriage. After 57 years, Florence Braun likely can offer some advice. "We did this so we might be an example to others," she said. Ben Cunningham is a staff writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach him at (989) 776-9716. © 2003 Saginaw News. Used with permission |
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