LUCKY IN LOVE.

Byline: Michael Booth For The Register-Guard

It is often said that it takes a lot of work, patience and communication to make a marriage last - and, sometimes, a fair amount of luck.

On Saturday, several people are taking no chances on the "luck" part of the equation. They're rolling all sevens by getting married on July 7, or 7-7-07.

One nontraditional church in particular, Weddings on Call, located within the Springfield Mind Science Center at 130 N. Fifth St., has been deluged with requests for ministers to perform weddings as far away as Newport. Officials estimate that the church's four ministers will be conducting at least 10 weddings on the lucky date.

The Rev. Gordon Ames says he can't explain why so many people want to get married on July 7 or why his nondenominational church suddenly has become so popular. It could be anything from luck to spiritual significance, he says.

A random survey of 20 traditional churches in the Springfield area indicated that other churches have not been bombarded with marriage requests for July 7.

Ames said he will be conducting five weddings on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Each wedding will be at a different location in the Eugene-Springfield area.

`We're doing more weddings on July 7 than we've done for Valentine's Day over the last several years,' Ames said. `We do a lot of weddings between May and October also, but (July 7) looks like it will be our busiest day of the year.'

Ames added that one of their ministers also will be doing two weddings on the Oregon Coast on Saturday.

The Rev. Mara Morgen answers the phones at Weddings on Call, and as the only bilingual minister there, also performs weddings in Spanish. Morgen said people are considering July 7 an especially lucky day to get married.

Located on Fifth Street just one block north of Main Street, the center is wedged between other small businesses with similar glass storefronts. From the window, you can see a reception desk and some office partitions. But if you walk past the partitions, you may feel like you have walked into a traditional-looking church by accident. Two rows of eight wooden pews face a raised pulpit, complete with candelabras.

Ames said he and the other ministers at Weddings on Call mainly perform weddings for those who have no particular religious attachments.

`That's the reason for our existence,' Ames said. `Many people don't have a religious affiliation. And many churches may not marry you if you're not a member or if you don't do a premarital counseling session. We don't require either.'

Language in the wedding ceremony is tailored to the bride and groom's particular beliefs, Ames said. If the couple prefers no mention of God, there's a nonsecular version of the wedding vows.

Ames said Weddings on Call is a low-cost option for a meaningful wedding, as opposed to having a civil ceremony before a justice of the peace. He added that he often gets referrals from the Lane County Courthouse when people say they do not have a traditional church to be married in.

Weddings on Call also conducts drop-in weddings at their chapel on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Prices for weddings are $75 or more, depending on the amount of time it takes or if travel is involved, Ames said. He calls the $75 version a `no frills, no thrills' wedding.

Ames declined to discuss the church's particular beliefs, but Morgen said their roots are in the Science of Mind, focusing on metaphysical beliefs - the combination of mind, body and spirit.

July 10 will mark 13 years for Ames as a minister at the church, where he has performed more than 1,900 weddings. And in that time, he has seen some unusual ceremonies.

Ames has conducted weddings with themes where participants wore anything from old Western clothing to medieval garb, complete with suits of armor and colorful pageantry, he said.

`I try to stay flexible,' he said. `Each wedding has a life of its own.'