From Pastor Brian: 

    Congratulations to both of you on having made one of the most important and wonderful decisions of your lives! Choosing the one with whom you will spend the rest of your life in this sacred covenant of marriage is certainly a matter of highest priority, aside from making Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. Now that you have chosen to commit yourselves to one another, let me encourage you personally to make Christ the center of your engagement, your marriage and your home, and to continually seek His leadership as you begin your new life together.

    Because your upcoming wedding is a prelude to the marriage that will follow, I know of no better way to begin than with a ceremony that puts God as its center. We here at Body of Christ Church are committed to working with you to see that your wedding is fun, memorable and personal. We will make every effort to accommodate your individual requests.

    Once again, I rejoice with you at the very special time in your lives. My prayer is that in this busy time you would not miss one single thing that God has planned for you. May He continue to bless you as you look for Him for guidance in the days ahead.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION

    All couples who wish to be married by us are strongly encouraged to take part in our Marriage Preparation by meeting with our pastor at least two to three times prior to the wedding.

    Our Marriage Preparation (premarital counseling) is open to couples of all ages and denominations who are seriously dating, engaged or newly married. It involves informal meetings between the pastor and the couple and involves activities and discussions. All discussions are between the couple and answers are not shared with fellow participants or leaders. Each person will be invited to complete the SYMBIS Assessment before meeting. Results will be distributed and discussed during class. There is a small fee for the SYMBIS Assessment but otherwise we simply request a donation to the ministry for the Marriage Preparation program.

SYMBIS ASSESSMENT TOOL

    SYMBIS stands for Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts. It is an award-winning program developed by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott to help newly engaged couples, newlyweds and people of second or more marriages to have sound, proven tools in order to foster a lifelong loving relationship.

     The process consists of an assessment that is taken by each person in the couple, individually. The results are then evaluated by a trained and experienced facilitator (the pastor) who then goes over the results with the couple over the course of multiple meetings, giving them the tools they need to have an informed and successful Marriage Preparation program.

COST OF THE PROGRAM

    There is NO COST for this program for members of the church. There is a $35 fee for the assessment. However there is no cost for the services of the pastor. We do ask that the participants make a donation to the church in ANY AMOUNT to cover the costs of the program. We do not receive any proceeds from the assessment cost. That fee is applied solely to the cost of the assessment, paid directly by the participants to SYMBIS. 

ABOUT THE PASTOR

   Brian Wattenbarger has been a certified professional mediator since 2011, employing his skills at his airline as a member and instructor for their Professional Standards Committee. He is also a certified Critical Incident Stress Management facilitator, having been trained in 1997 by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. He utilized his training to help his fellow Emergency Medical Services workers in Kansas City and later at his airline, developing and growing the CISM team there for both pilots and flight attendants.  

    Brian has been trained and certified by Connected Marriages as a Marriage Mentor and, coupled with his mediation skills, is fully capable and qualified to     provide these services to those who need or desire them. He is also trained and certified by SYMBIS as a premarital counseling facilitator. Brian has his Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Maryland and takes seminary classes from both the Koinonia Institute and Christian Leadership International College. 

     The Marriage Preparation program is a great way to ensure that your relationship begins with a healthy start. You will be given the tools needed to ensure a happy, healthy, lasting marriage with God at the center. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about this program! And again, congratulations on your decision and may the Lord bless your marriage!