How This Church Can Help Your Marriage
Rashad Christmas: Thinking of marriage. You know, I thought of just finding somebody that I would love, get married, if it didn’t work out, I can get divorced. You know? That’s what I thought. You know, it’s not just what I thought was what I knew.
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Rashad & Mary Christmas, Joined the INC in 2022
Voiceover: There’s a lot to think about on your wedding day. The ceremony, the party, the life and the adventure you’re about to embark on with the person you love. So we’re pretty sure the last thing on your mind is ending the marriage in divorce. But unfortunately, these days, divorce continues to be a common and easy solution, whenever things start to get hard in a marriage.
Darryl San Pedro: Prior to joining the Church Of Christ, I had a very different belief about marriage. The way I thought of things is that marriage was something that you could eventually get out of. If you know, if things got hard, right?
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Darryl San Pedro, Joined the INC in 2015
Mary Christmas: There’s no communication, really, in any of the marriages I’ve seen. You’re just supposed to grin and bear it kind of deal. And I’ve never heard any of them wanting to involve God really, in their marriage or even counseling. So it feels like some people don’t go above and beyond to really make their marriage work. And that’s what marriage is. It’s work. It’s not to be taken lightly. It’s the commitment you make for a life before God.
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Rashad & Mary Christmas, Joined the INC in 2022
Voiceover: In the Bible, marriage is a union instituted by God. That’s why in the Church Of Christ, before any couple walks down the aisle, they have to undergo a series of seminars to prepare them for married life.
Darryl: But once they learned the true doctrines about marriage and how sacred it is, I started to really realize that it was something that you have to continuously work towards, and that it’s something that you can’t just back out of at any time.
Voiceover: These lessons are Bible-based and cover practical topics like managing conflicts when they arise, growing your family, and budgeting.
Joshua Stirba: The marriage seminars are very important for newlyweds because the minister will give the newlyweds the tools they need so that they’re properly equipped for, you know, what’s going to be a lifetime commitment.
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Joshua & Elvira Stirba, Married since 2022
John Michael Crisostomo: And that’s just so important because when it comes to having peace, whenever there’s any arguments which are bound to happen, we can always see things eye to eye based on our faith. So it’s no longer if you get into an argument like, “This is my point of view. I’m right.” Or “This is what you think.” In the end, we’ll both have a similar out view and attitude and how we believe things should be because it’s all structured on our faith.
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John Michael & Maricar Crisostomo, Married Since 2021
Voiceover: But we know a strong Christian marriage needs more than just one seminar. In the Church Of Christ, married couples are provided a solid support system to help them face the challenges ahead.
Rashad: You know, we come from families that have some bad relationships. You know, our moms and dads didn’t have the, you know, best relationships. So, of course, we want to start something and build something brand new. At the same time, God is helping us renew our lives. So all this renewing and new is all intertwined in it. And if you know we don’t take advantage of it, then it’s just our loss.
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- An organization for married couples
Voiceover: In the Church Of Christ, married couples have access to:
- An organization for married couples where they are surrounded by other couples who are facing similar challenges and want the guidance of God to overcome them. The organization regularly schedules workshops, meetings and activities to help strengthen the bond of marriage.
Jasmine San Pedro: It’s very inspiring because we see, you know, the younger newlyweds, along with the older brethren who are married and have been married for many years, despite the differences in age, you can see that their love for each other is still very evident.
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Darryl & Jasmine San Pedro, Married since 2019
Mary: And it’s great to have that from somebody else who might be going through a similar situation as you. We’re looking to relate to another couple, maybe have our children grow up together, you know, a family dynamic, community dynamic. So it’s very important to keep that in the faith.
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Rashad & Mary Christmas, Joined the INC in 2022
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- Worship service lessons to remind couples of their vows
Voiceover: 2. Worship service lessons to remind couples of the vows they took on their wedding day and help bring them closer to God.
Maricar Crisostomo: Especially in our first year of marriage, we went through so many struggles and challenges. We moved from our hometown and home state over to a completely different area where we barely had any family or any friends. During the worship services we’re given hope and peace that everything is going to be okay.
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John Michael & Maricar Crisostomo, Married Since 2021
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- A podcast dedicated to newlyweds
Voiceover: 3. A podcast dedicated to newlyweds to hear and learn from other Christians who are navigating married life.
Voiceover: Make sure that your relationship is right with God. So always consult God first to your devotional prayers and for sure, God will lead you.
Mary: There’s a new set of rules that you have to abide by, your rules for your marriage, God’s rules for your marriage, you know. And you want to make sure that your rules for your marriage coincide with His. So a podcast is a good reminder, you know. It’s something you can listen to in your car, while you’re doing chores, you know, on the way to things with your kids. It’s just instant access to God, really.
Joshua: Sometimes, you know, you need that, you really need that experience for other people to tell you what to look out for.
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Joshua & Elvira Stirba, Married since 2022
Elvira Stirba: So having a podcast like that will help again, with guidance and maybe have you go to the right people and having questions that are kind of unique that not many can answer. So that that would be very helpful and, you know, insightful as well.
Voiceover: In the Church Of Christ, ministers of the gospel are also available to counsel Christian couples looking for help navigating conflicts that come up in a marriage.
Mary: The advice and the counsel that we get is strictly Bible-based. It’s truth. So it helps in a lot to kind of dismantle all the other negative things that might possibly be going on. So you can grab on to the light and the positivity, you know. And I think that, it’s just really important.
Voiceover: Marriage is a lifelong commitment and one that is certain to have challenges. So if you’re looking to build a solid foundation for your marriage, one that doesn’t crumble the moment life gets difficult, then maybe it’s time to discover how the Church Of Christ can bring you the support and biblical guidance you need to solidify your marriage and bring you both closer to God.
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Rashad & Mary Christmas, Joined the INC in 2022
Rashad: I’ve seen my parents, I’ve seen couples in my family, my friends, and I’ve seen reality shows. I’ve seen celebrity marriages and all types of things in this world. But to really buckle down and see what the scriptures say about my role as a husband and then, you know, she gets to see her role as a wife. But getting into this seminar, learning our roles and learning how our relationship is supposed to be, is exciting. It’s beneficial. And what a time to take this ride and understand what your role should be so you can receive all the fruits from the relationship rather than just letting it just wither away.
Voiceover: Set up a time with a minister of the gospel and discover how a marriage guided by God can change your life.
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SET UP A TIME TO SPEAK WITH A MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL
