We welcome everyone into our church

Same-SEX marriage became legal in England and Wales just after midnight on March 29, 2014.
INCLUSIVE John Pounds Unitarian Church, Old PortsmouthINCLUSIVE John Pounds Unitarian Church, Old Portsmouth
INCLUSIVE John Pounds Unitarian Church, Old Portsmouth

Since then, the Office of National Statistics have confirmed that a total of 15,098 same-sex couples have legally married.

Northern Ireland is currently the only place in the UK that hasn’t legalised same-sex marriage.

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At John Pounds Unitarian Church, Old Portsmouth, we are now happy to offer same-sex marriage.

You don’t have to be a Unitarian to be married in a Unitarian church or chapel, we welcome everyone into our church.

As Unitarians, we’re willing to work with couples to help them achieve what they wish for in their special service.

If you’d like to find out more about using our Unitarian church for your wedding service, or for any other type of service, e.g. naming or funeral service, please phone our church office on (023) 9282 1101 to receive details.

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The following contribution has been written by Christopher Blighton Sande.

It is his story of his civil partnership and subsequent conversion to marriage.

He said: ‘As religious people, my husband and I had always wished to be married in a place of worship, but of course for many years that was not possible for us.

‘So in 2012 after 14 years together we were overjoyed when the law changed, thus allowing places of worship to conduct civil partnerships.

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‘I never doubted that the church I attended at that time, John Pounds Unitarian Church, would in the spirit of tolerance and radically inclusive love and faithful to their historical legacy, embrace the opportunity to conduct civil partnerships.

‘So in 2013 we joyously celebrated our wedding, which for us was nothing 
less than our marriage, alongside friends, family and the abundant goodwill and pride of the church congregation.

‘Thankfully the law caught up with our reality, and in 2015 we ‘converted’ our civil partnership into marriage, on equal terms to every other married couple in our society.

‘Thus it was with great joy, but no surprise when Portsmouth Unitarians voted to apply for registration to officiate same-sex marriages.’

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The news that after a long process they have finally received their registration, brings us much happiness in knowing that this compassionate church leads the way in equally celebrating and honouring the love and commitment of all the couples who walk through its doors.