Ask anyone who is married and most will agree that marriage isn't always easy.Fortunately, there is a bright side — perhaps even a funny side — to marriage, as shown in this season's Promise Players performance of "How To Make the Mrs. Happy.""Ever......

Lancaster Realtor Carole Kirchner couldn't close this deal quickly enough.After her divorce, she wasted no time in selling her wedding rings to a gold buyer.Her ¼-karat engagement ring was worth some $2,000. She got around $200.But money wasn't the object....

A local pastor who directs a Lutheran reform group said the organization is very disappointed in the decision Friday by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to allow noncelibate gay clergy. At its national assembly in Minneapolis on Friday, the ELCA lifted a ban on sexually active, monoga......

For all the huffing and puffing from our state lawmakers during the budget stalemate, Rep. Ron Marsico doesn't see any action to back up the bluster."Look where we are today: no budget in site," said the Dauphin County Republican. "They're not even m......

When people ask Susan Grayson why her marriage ended, she hesitates.Not because she doesn't know, but because she wonders how she can make others understand something that she fully doesn't understand herself.After 14 years, her marriage ended because her husband admitted al......

......

A unanimous Iowa Supreme Court legalized gay marriage April 3. Four days later, the Vermont legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto, thus allowing same-sex marriage in that state.   Prior to those rulings, gay and lesbian couples could legally wed in Massachusetts and Connecticut. N......

......

Gays and lesbians in Iowa might want to brace themselves for the backlash.While all seven justices of Iowa's Supreme Court joined Friday in ending the Hawkeye State's 11-year ban on same-sex marriage, a strong majority of Iowans sees things differently.A Des Moines Register ......

Sunday News columnist Gil Smart on Bristol Palin's interview with Fox News' Greta van Susteren.  In the interview, Palin tells Van Susteren that abstinence just "isn't realistic" and that premarital sex is now more commonly accepted among "kids her age."...

Here came the brides. One by one, the four women were escorted by their grooms under an arch covered with silk foliage, white tiger lilies and starflowers. A pianist played a subtle, classy version of the wedding march as they traveled the red carpet aisle. It wasn't the first time the coup......

Jenna Sherick was hoping for a Boston terrier when she entered the Humane League of Lancaster County Saturday afternoon. Instead, she got a Valentine's Day diamond and marriage proposal from boyfriend Patrick Quinn. Both are league supporters. Patrick was waiting for Jenna in a kennel,......

The role of clergy in counseling engaged couples is more complex in today's society than it was just a decade or two ago.Pastors have to deal with such issues as a rise in the average marriage age, more couples cohabiting before marriage, more couples with children born out of wedlock ......

The question is explored in literature, in music, in holy texts, in our not-so-holy pop culture: What is love? There are countless definitions. "Love is the answer," sang John Lennon — not that helpfully, really. Love is "temporary insanity, curable by marriage,&q......

Sunday News columnist Gil Smart reacts to Newsweek's article arguing the religious case for gay marriage....

Sunday News columnist Gil Smart takes on the Proposition 8 controversy in this week's video edition of "Smart Remarks." ......

Brides in central Pennsylvania are skipping the ceremony programs, having Sunday weddings and making their own favors, in an attempt to cut costs. Wedding Report Inc. tracks trends in the wedding industry, and as of August, the No. 1 trend is couples interested in cutting costs. "Ever......

Being an artist can often be a lonely profession. Sure, artists can meet folks and chat with them at receptions and galleries, but when it comes to the work, they are often pouring their paint and their souls onto the canvas in isolation. But not Barbara and Bob Buchanan. The marri......

In the movie classic "Grand Hotel," Greta Garbo intoned her most famous line: "I vant to be alone." Whether the screen legend felt that way in real life is debatable — "I want to be left alone," the never-married Garbo once clarified — but her ......

(AP)John Roehsler took his wedding vows, exchanged rings with his bride — and turned to the Webcam. "Whoever's watching ... we're sorry that you couldn't be here," the groom says. "But you are here, so that's great. The 21st century rocks." Roehsle......

(AP)Who may now kiss the bride when there are two grooms? Since the state of California began issuing marriage certificates to same-sex couples earlier this month, questions about wedding rituals and etiquette — not just politics — have grown faster than a wedding reception guest li......

When Frank Adamson and Tonya Taylor were pronounced man and wife on Friday at Arch Street Center, the audience erupted into applause.The newlyweds strolled down the aisle smiling widely and greeting members of the center, who have become like family to them.So much in fact, they cou......

Fifteen years ago this month, my column first appeared in the New Era. I had just turned 24 and was still living with my parents when I approached the editor of the Magazine section with an idea for a column. She talked with me about it at length and asked me write a few samples, which she pass......

Shawn and Lydia Ramer Hunter wanted their wedding guests' presence — not necessarily their presents. Instead of gifts, the Lancaster couple asked guests at their 2007 nuptials to give donations to charities, including Oxfam and the Mennonite Central Committee. "(We) think gi......

Caring Singles helped Patty Bouder-Miller to become, well, unsingle. Which technically makes Patty, 74, and her husband, Donald L. Miller, 77, ex-members of the club. But they were welcome to join the festivities recently when Caring Singles, a nonreligious, nonprofit support group for single, ......

State Sen. Mike Brubaker's marriage amendment bill is dead — at least for now.The controversial bill that calls for an amendment to the state's constitution defining marriage as being between a man and a woman was tabled indefinitely by the state Senate Tuesday, before that b......

The state Senate is poised to vote today on a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would exclusively define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.The Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Republican state Sen. Gibson Armstrong of Refton, passed the proposed amend......

U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, a Chester County Republican who represents Lancaster, has signed on as a co-sponsor for a new bill aimed at illegal immigration.House Bill 5761 would cut off aid to countries that refuse to repatriate their citizens who come to the United States, commit a crime and ser......

The state Senate Appropriations Committee hosted a contentious meeting Tuesday morning as advocates and opponents fought over a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.The amendment, authored by Sen. Michael W. Brubaker, a Lititz-area Republican, recognizes only man-woman unions ......

Civil-rights attorneys, theologians and moms and dads on both sides of the gay-marriage debate clashed again in Harrisburg today as a state Senate panel heard a third round of testimony on a proposal to ban same-sex unions in the constitution. "Clearly, what is proposed in Senate Bill 1250......

The week after state Sen. Mike Brubaker introduced legislation to limit marriage in Pennsylvania to unions of one man and one woman, he spoke to elementary school students about the importance of tolerance and acceptance of differences.Some might see irony there, but Brubaker doesn't....

Those who oppose the "Marriage Protection Amendment" (Senate Bill 1250) will be given a chance to voice their concerns Sunday at a special rally.The main focus of the event is to urge elected officials to vote no on SB 1250.The rally will feature red postcards bearing the ......

Speed should not be of the essence when contemplating a change to the constitution, the bedrock of principles upon which a democracy is built.Yet the Republican-controlled state Senate, known for dragging its feet on festering problems Pennsylvanians want fixed — from burdensome prop......

State Sen. Michael W. Brubaker's proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between one man and one woman got its first hearing before lawmakers on Monday. And it was a lively one. A trio of Brubaker's fellow Senators raised questions about the proposal — from its p......

Hearings in Harrisburg today on a proposed state constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage attracted at least one busload of supporters who made the trip from Lancaster to the state capital. But the amendment itself faces a much longer, tougher road. Sen. Mike Brubaker, a Republ......

Last month, the highest court in the Presbyterian Church (USA) reaffirmed the church's stance that clergy and candidates for clergy cannot have sex unless they are in a heterosexual marriage.Local Presbyterian clergy generally agreed that the court's ruling — the latest ......

In proposing a constitutional ban on gay marriage, can we take state Sen. Mike Brubaker at his word?On a recent radio program, Brubaker, a Republican from Warwick Township, said that although he is sponsoring a bill to make sure gays can't marry, he has "no negative feeling" ......

Barry Russell has a past and a present with state Sen. Mike Brubaker —and a future yet to be written.Russell, the co-director of Rainbow Rose Community, a local human-rights group dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, and Brubaker attended high school together a......

It took a trip to New Jersey last month to find that life works in mysterious ways, and that interesting stories are where you find them. At a fly-tying show in Somerset, N.J., I spoke with Don Bastian, a 55-year-old professional fly tier, author, lecturer and fly-tying and fly-fishing instruct......

If you are a citizen who votes their conscience and their faith, you may justifiably feel misunderstood and often ignored by the mainstream media — whatever your brand of belief.Not that the "religious" or "values" voters are being ignored in this election season ......

When a York County judge ruled in September that a marriage was invalid because it was performed by a minister who obtained his ordination over the Internet, it sent shock waves across the state.In the ruling, the judge said ministers who don't have an established congregation cannot p......

Walking around the historic Gettysburg battlefield, a teenage Ruth Hurst looked at the other tourists and exclaimed to her husband of less than 24 hours, "Boy, if these people knew we came here for our honeymoon, they'd think we were crazy!" Smiling at the story now, her husband, ......

How bizarre are things in Harrisburg? Quite.Last month, Republicans lined up in support of a plan would eliminate school property taxes for senior homeowners earning $40,000 or less, and Democrats cried "foul" because the plan left out every other homeowner.Then last week,......

State Sen. Mike Brubaker this week proposed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Pennsylvania, a move that is destined to resurrect a bitter legislative debate that stalled in 2006. The Warwick Township Republican, the second Lancaster County lawmaker to introduce such a proposal ......

State Sen. Michael Brubaker is poised to introduce legislation that would write a ban on gay marriage into the state Constitution, the Intelligencer Journal has learned.According to various sources, the Warwick Township Republican is shopping for co-sponsors to attach their names to the le......

Editor's note: Because of the sensitive nature of the following story, the Sunday News is honoring the request of some of the individuals who were interviewed for this feature to identify them by first names only.

Jennifer was 27, married and expecting her first child when s......

A local businessman has entered the Republican race to replace retiring state Sen. Gibson Armstrong, making it a three-way contest.Bill Neff, 54, owner of Neff's Safe, Lock & Security Inc. in Lancaster city, cited campaign finance reform, school vouchers and the defense of traditio......

Thanksgiving celebrates the two things for which I am most grateful: a healthy family and a healthy appetite. But as the turkey gravy once again begins to flow, and I prepare to test anew the limits of my arteries, something else clamors for attention in my thoughts. As much as it pains me to s......

A Montgomery County attorney wants to influence the outcome of next year's state Senate race in Lancaster County by supporting Steve McDonald, and his first action is to try to keep a current legislator out of the contest.Bob Guzzardi, a controversial figure who once owned a gym that attra......

Sometimes the decisions of prelates in high places have reverberations for individuals they most likely do not intend and cannot anticipate.Such is the case with the deliberations of the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops that concluded Tuesday — the culmination of a process tha......

Your marital status on December 31 determines your filing status for the entire preceding year. If you are still married on December 31, you have a choice. You can file jointly with your soon-to-be ex-spouse or file using married filing separately status. You might qualify to file as Head of Hous......

Evidence of your ancestors' marriage will be found in a variety of records that you encounter as a family historian, and the terminology and marriage customs you find may be bewildering. Some of the terms and practices that researchers have asked me to explain are described here. As a genealogi......

Now that same-sex civil unions are legal in New Jersey, should two women be allowed to hold a civil union ceremony at a popular seaside camp meeting association if the association doesn't want them to? Randall Wenger, of Rothsville, chief council of the Harrisburg-based Independence Law ......

State Rep. Scott Boyd's going to think I'm picking on him.Last year, I was on his case for pushing a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Pennsylvania.Why he wants to tell law-abiding, tax-paying committed couples they are not welcome here escapes me.Now I&......

Two of the three local United Church of Christ congregations that voted to disassociate from the denomination late last year have issued statements regarding their votes.The former Swamp United Church of Christ of Reinholds said in its statement, released Wednesday, that the General Synod ......

The amendment’s passage is far from assured — it has drawn heated opposition from groups who claim it would discriminate against homosexuals.

Furthermore, the state House’s new Democratic majority could prevent the measure from ever reaching the floor.

None of the party’s state l...

And since “it’s not a far-fetched notion to see that happen someday in Pennsylvania,” Michael Geer said today, those who are concerned about legalized same-sex marriage here need to see how to prepare themselves. Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, and state Rep. Scott Boyd have......

The Hornbergers were married on June 21, 1941 at Trinity Evangelical Congregational Church, Lititz, by the late Dr. L. Clarence Hunt.

William retired in December 1982 from the First Columbia Bank and Trust Company, Bloomsburg, where he served as vice president and trust officer. Charlotte...

The party was hosted by the couple’s children.

Nelson and Stella were married on April 12, 1936 in the Cresswell Evangelical Congregational Church by the late Rev. Earl D. Ehrig.

Nelson is the former owner of Manning’s Sporting Goods in Columbia and is retired from the Warwick Scho...

Lawmakers and gay-rights advocates fired opening salvos Tuesday in a battle over how marriage should be defined in Pennsylvania's constitution.

Legislators led by state Rep. Scott Boyd, a Lampeter Republican, introduced a House bill to begin amending the the state constitution so it w...

The groom graduated from Ephrata High School in 1997. He has a B.A. in sociology from East Stroudsburg University. He also has as associates degree from Air Force Community College in criminal justice. He will complete his master’s degree in homeland security from American Military University in May...

The dialogue is called "The Color of Sound," and gallery owner Ellen Slupe's intent is to engage the musicians, the artists and the audience in discussion, sharing what is seen, heard -- and more.

Rebecca Rast, a violinist with 10 years of training at age 15, walks past the gallery several ti...

They are the parents of Carolyn, married to Roger North and Jon, married to Karen Vaselaros, both of Lititz, and Ken, married to Karen Frankenfield of Dublin. Roy and Helen have been blessed with eight grandchildren.

Roy is a former Manheim Township High School history instructor, teaching fr...

Organist was Linda Lippicott. Vocal soloist was Kevin Kurtz and instrumental soloist was Dale Weller.

Given in marriage by her father, the bride wore a satin ballroom gown with full skirt and detailed beading of pearls. It featured an elegant off-the-shoulder neckline and a 10-foot train. She...

Loretta, the former Loretta Kulp, attended Lancaster Business College and worked for various enterprises, including Old Guard Insurance Company, Paul Cassel, M.D., Steffy Buick and the Lincoln Auto Auction.

The Erbs have resided in Lititz for more than 50 years and have three children, Kirby,...

“Most of the kids who are coming have already made a commitment to sexual abstinence,” explains Mrs. Gresh, who along with her husband is hosting the Pure Freedom Conference, which began Friday and continued today at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church. “We want to teach them the skills they’ll need t...

“We met when we were both vacationing in Florida,” says Betsy. “He just asked me out on a date, and we started dating from there.” The couple found they had a lot in common, including their Amish faith and Lancaster County roots. They also had chemistry, Betsy recalls. “I thought he was very h......

Having wrecked Phyllis’s car, and with no money to buy her another one, a proposal seemed like the best way out. The joke, however, may have been on him. “He is still paying,” Phyllis says with a smile. Upon stepping into the Jenkinses’ Silver Spring-area home, one cannot help but notice th......

In the most extreme cases, spouses are expected to stay together even if one’s life is in danger.

A conservative Mennonite bishop cited a case where a Mennonite woman killed her husband. The husband had stayed with his wife, even though she had made several attempts on his life before she suc...

......

In the most extreme cases, spouses are expected to stay together even if one’s life is in danger.

A conservative Mennonite bishop cited a case where a Mennonite woman killed her husband. The husband had stayed with his wife, even though she had made several attempts on his life befo......

Bush announced his support for the constitutional amendment submitted by Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado in order to end "growing confusion" that has arisen from a court decision in Massachusetts and a decision by San Francisco officials to allow same-sex marriages.
...

If Beatrice Saam had known her fiance had a history of domestic violence, she'd have thought twice before making vows to love, honor and cherish.

Now, Christopher Saam and his wife, Beatrice, are working to ensure that no one makes the same mistake she made in her previous marriage......

""Miss Borst, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,'' an emotional Grenier said, slipping a diamond ring on her finger. ""Will you marry me?'' He looked at the enthusiastic group of half-pints, who were sitting on the floor at her feet.

""One, two three,'' he coache...

As soon as U.S. Army Specialist Michael Eugene Fink Jr. learned he would be getting two weeks' leave from Camp Dogwood in Iraq, he made a quick call to his mother.

The 25-year-old asked, "Mom, how do you get married in Pennsylvania with only a few days' notice?"

His mother, B......