WHAT: Tutorial on the Twogether in Texas act
WHEN: 10 a.m. Aug. 6
WHERE: First Lutheran Church, 1515 W. Adams Ave., Temple
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Response to news of the Twogether in Texas act has the local clergy in a fix.
“We can’t believe we didn’t know about it,” said Pastor Pat Dietrich of First Lutheran Church in Temple, talking about the new state law that will give couples the option of taking an eight-hour premarital class to waive their marriage license fee.
Come Sept. 1, the license fee will double from $30 to $60, and Ms. Dietrich said that with the economy the way it is, couples are going to want to take advantage of the option to waive the fee.
“But it’s hard to get started on how to offer that to our churches if we don’t know the rules,” Ms. Dietrich said. “So I called and called and asked a bunch of questions.”
In her conversation with Lutheran Social Services, the state-selected group responsible for deciding whether a church’s premarital course fits the Twogether curriculum, the pastor learned that planning has been slow at all stages of the law’s implementation.
To get the ball rolling in Bell County, Ms. Dietrich asked Lutheran Social Services if someone could come give local clergy a tutorial about the Twogether program. Her request was granted.
Twogether representatives will be in Temple on Aug. 6 to discuss the church’s role in the Twogether effort. Ms. Dietrich said church leaders of all faiths are welcome.
An explanation of the Twogether in Texas act and why it was created is available in the “‘I do’ changes” story at Temple Daily Telegram Web site at www.temple-telegram.com/life.
--tlunsford@temple-telegram.com
