After church services on Feb. 18, 2012, the Greensboro, North Carolina, congregation threw a surprise double wedding anniversary celebration for Marshall and Doris Emery and Alvin and Brenda Walker.

This was the 60th wedding anniversary for Marshall and Doris Emery, who were married on Feb. 6, 1952, in Bennettsville, South Carolina. The Emerys had three children, Melissa Allen, Venita Journey and Tim Emery (Venita and Tim both died in 2001). They had two granddaughters, Andrea Allen and Joanna Allen (Joanna died in 1991). Marshall and Doris became baptized members of the Church in 1963 and 1964. They have served faithfully as deacon and deaconess for 40 some years in the Greensboro and Asheboro congregations. They attended with United Church of God in Asheboro at its beginning in 1995 and continue to serve in the Greensboro congregation.

For Alvin and Brenda Walker, this was their 40th wedding anniversary. They were married in Jamestown, North Carolina, on Feb. 5, 1972. Alvin and Brenda were baptized into the Church in 1969 and 1971. Their daughter Kimberly and her husband Dan Preston are Church members in Cincinnati, Ohio, and they have given two grandsons to the Walkers, Aaron and Andrew. Alvin and Brenda are serving faithfully as deacon and deaconess in the Greensboro congregation.

For the celebration, the congregation provided special dishes of food and gifts as tokens of our love and appreciation for these two couples. There was also a toast to many more happy anniversaries for the Emerys and Walkers. During the toast, Marshall joked that he and Doris would give it a try for another 60 years—and if it didn’t work, they’d just throw in the towel!