Purpose of Guidelines

These Facility Use Guidelines ensures the Dalraida church of Christ (“Dalraida”) presents a consistent message to its members and the community regarding its mission, beliefs, and teachings. Allowing Dalraida facilities to be used by any person or group that advocates for or engages in activities that contradict the Church’s mission, beliefs or teachings would confuse the message of the Lord’s Church at Dalraida. Allowing the use of our facilities by such persons would also cause irreparable harm to the reputation of Dalraida by leading the community to reasonably conclude that Dalraida condones or agrees with the beliefs or practices of the persons or groups using the facilities. Allowing our facilities to be used for purposes that contradict the Church’s mission, beliefs or teachings would also constitute cooperating with or facilitating sinful activity, and is itself sinful (see 2 Cor. 6:3, 14; Eph. 5:11; 1 Thess. 5:22).

Permissible Activities

All Dalraida facilities were provided by God’s benevolence through the sacrificial generosity of church members, and will be used for religious or ministry purposes and some specific personal uses by members approved for limited purposes and times. Permissible use may include divinely authorized worship, church fellowship, religious teaching, weddings, funerals, outreach, benevolence, education, and other activities that have a bona fide religious or ministry purpose and are approved by our eldership.

Personal activities must be coordinated and reserved by members and are not considered to be generally open to the public. Dalraida members must properly submit a Facility Reservation Form before any use is approved by our eldership or its designee.

Requesting Facility Use

Dalraida facilities are not generally open to the public and no individual or group may use Dalraida facilities without the approval of our eldership or its designee. The eldership or its designee has the authority to exclude any person or group that the eldership reasonably believes is or will commit or advocate an immoral or sinful act, or is otherwise disruptive. The eldership or its designee also has the authority to demand that a particular activity cease and/or to remove or have removed any person or group from the premises. Decisions regarding permission to use church facilities will be made at the sole discretion of the eldership or its designee, in accordance with its understanding of biblical precepts and principles. The eldership or its designee also has the discretion to refuse or revoke permission for practical reasons, unrelated to the violation of biblical precepts and principles. The eldership will have exclusive and final authority to resolve any disputes related to church facility use.

General Guidelines and Use Restrictions

Each individual or group utilizing the Church’s facilities is required to abide by all rules and instructions given by the eldership or its designee related to church facility use, whether spoken or in writing, including without limitation the following general guidelines:

  • No alcohol may be served or consumed in Dalraida facilities or on church property.
  • Smoking or other use of tobacco is strictly prohibited in Dalraida’s facilities and on church property.
  • Use of marijuana or other illicit substances, including drugs without a prescription, is strictly prohibited in Dalraida’s facilities and on church property.
  • Materials with sexually explicit or graphic content including inappropriate images or videos, such as pornography, are strictly prohibited in Dalraida’s facilities and on church property.
  • Dancing is not permitted in Dalraida’s facilities or on church property.
  • Abusive or foul language and violent or disruptive behavior is strictly prohibited while using Dalraida’s facilities or on church property.
  • Dalraida facilities will not be used to participate in, cooperate with, or facilitate any activity that violates the Church’s mission, beliefs or teachings, or that discredits the Church or its ministry (2 Cor. 6:3, 14; Eph. 5:11; 1 Thess. 5:22).
  • Any person or group requesting facility use must be a faithful member of Dalraida Church of Christ or a member of another faithful congregation of the church of Christ, as well as adhere to these Facility Use Guidelines.
  • Dalraida reserves the right to accept or deny any individual or group who seeks to utilize or reserve Church facilities, at the sole discretion of the eldership.

Wedding-Related Events

The following additional rules apply to any wedding-related event held in Dalraida’s facilities or on church property:

  • At least one party to the marriage (the bride or the groom) must be (a) a current or former member in good standing at Dalraida church of Christ or another faithful church of Christ, or (b) related to a current or former member in good standing at Dalraida church of Christ congregation.
  • All wedding ceremonies must be officiated by a regular minister, preacher or elder of a faithful congregation of the church of Christ.
  • All wedding ceremonies must be between a scripturally qualified man and woman, and any second marriage ceremony must have scriptural grounds consistent with Matthew 19:9.
  • Church facilities will not be used to host the wedding, rehearsal, reception, celebration, or similar gathering for a same-sex couple or for any person(s) ineligible to marry due to a prior unscriptural divorce or other biblical reason.

Fees

Because the facility is exclusively utilized for religious and ministry purposes, no rent or fees will be charged, except as necessary to cover the cost of clean-up and repairs.

Insurance and Indemnity

Any damage occurring to Dalraida’s facilities related to an event will be repaired and replaced by the person and/or group reserving the facility for the event, at a cost determined by the eldership or its designee.

Any person or group who reserves Dalraida’s facilities for use must sign a general release and indemnification, which is incorporated into the Facility Use Agreement.

Facility users who are not current members of the Dalraida church of Christ congregation will have to provide their own general liability insurance coverage with a combined single limit of not less than $500,000, naming Dalraida as an additional insured.

Reservations

Apart from visiting or attending scheduled worship services, Bible classes, church-wide fellowship meals, Gospel meetings, or other pre-approved church-wide events or activities for the entire youth group or college group, any member or group who wishes to use the Church’s facilities must complete the Facility Reservation Form and indicate that they have read, understand and agree to abide by these Facility Use Guidelines. The event will be reserved and placed on the church calendar only after the eldership or its designee has approved the use in writing.

Cleaning Policies

Dalraida members or groups reserving the facility are responsible for the following:

  • Properly bag and take trash to the dumpster
  • Return all items, including tables and chairs, to the place they were before the event began.
  • Vacuum and sweep floors of the areas used to the best of your ability. If you have any messes that cannot be cleaned, please notify the church office as soon as possible.
  • Wipe off all tables and counters in the areas used
  • Clean bathroom areas used and insure that all trash is properly deposited in trash cans