A weekend of refreshment, growth and a whole lot of fun.
$120 at the door // Friday Only at the door $40 // Saturday Only at the door $80
MAIN SPEAKERS
Jamie & Donna Winship
Jamie and his wife, Donna, are co-founders of Identity Exchange, a training and consulting agency that helps individuals and teams discover new levels of creativity and resiliency within the framework of true identity.
Jamie and Donna will be sharing how to love fearlessly in your marriage and to live out your true identity. Your true identity is your gift to your spouse.
COUPLES WORKSHOPS
-
Jamie & Donna Winship
Marriages Wherein We Sharpen One Another
Married 40 Years
“You use steel to sharpen steel and one friend, partner, sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17)
Late one night, while living and working in the Middle East, I returned home and told my wife, Donna, that earlier in the evening I had been confronted by a group of men who informed me that unless I meet them the following evening at a place of their selection, with her (Donna) with me, they would kill us. “How do I know you won’t kill us anyway?” I had asked the men. “You don’t,” they answered. I told my wife that I needed to go meet them but she didn’t need to come. “There are our kids in the States to consider,” I said. “I can get you safely out of the country.” She was thoughtful for a minute, then said, “We are partners in everything, right? I’m all in. Let’s see what the Lord has for us together.”
Two identities, joined together in marriage become a third incredibly dynamic identity. Let’s discover together, how that works.
-
Bradley & Kate Williams
From Strife to Strength: Embracing Conflict for Marital Growth
**WORKSHOP IS FULL**
Married 20 Years
Explore the keys to a thriving marriage through the convergence of faith, science, and the delicate balance of our nervous systems. Discover transformative insights into conflict resolution strategies and practical tools to foster lasting relational health personally and in your marriage.
Bradley serves as the lead minister at Forum Christian Church, and Kate is a physician at the University of Missouri. They are passionate about serving the community and promoting spiritual, relational, and physical health.
-
Michael & Jill Acock
Choosing Us: The Power of Connection
Married 30 Years
Have you ever felt like something in your relationship was just “off” or you were just “missing” each other? Michael and Jill will explore how to have an intentional marriage of building trust through deeper connection, developing habits that will draw you together instead of apart, and the power of being seen and known.
Michael & Jill attend Christian Fellowship where Michael is the lead pastor. They love spending time hiking, working out, exploring new places together, coffee dates and doing home projects.
-
John & Kathleen Gillman
Sexual Intimacy: Seeking to Honor God in the Bedroom
Married 29 Years
Wait! Can we talk about this in church? Believe it or not, God created sex, Hollywood didn't. Do you and your spouse have a healthy and God honoring sex life? In this workshop, John and Kathleen identify some common misconceptions and conflicts that couples have around sexual intimacy and share some helpful tips for communicating and growing in this area of marriage.
John serves as the senior pastor at Harrisburg Christian Church and has counseled dozens of couples. Kathleen leads several Bible studies in addition to mentoring women in the community.
-
John & Laura Arnold
Multiplying the Love in Your Life: How Parenting Creates Connection with Your Spouse
Married 17 Years
Marriage is one of life's greatest blessings, but it can come with challenges, and adding children into the mix makes it even more complex! This workshop is designed to help you turn parenting conflict into marital connection through a Biblical and practical understanding of intimacy, interdependence, and unity.
John & Laura are passionate about strengthening families and empowering parents to lead their children to the heart of Jesus. They are parents to four amazing children, and on most days, their family can be found having a dance party and taking road trips as a #tightteam (their family motto).
-
Jeff & Angela Carson
Protecting Love & Flourishing: A Conversation about Relationships and Boundaries.
Married 19 Years
Establishing boundaries is not about creating distance but rather about creating a space for love to thrive. Whether it’s holiday expectations, communicating respectfully through conflict, or holding different values than your parents in the way you raise your children, setting and respecting healthy boundaries plays a vital role in healthy relationships within marriage and family.
Jeff and Angela attend Karis church where Jeff is an elder. They love taking in some live jazz, a football game, or taking on the next renovation project when they get a breather from wrangling four kids.
-
Tim & Toby Rost
Marriage on Mission: Serving Together
**WORKSHOP IS FULL**
Married 35 Years
Did you ever consider that your marriage brings together two different people with different passions and skillsets? Those two diverse people in a marriage can make for an effective team in taking missions abroad or in your circle of influence at home and work.
Join us and learn to develop or deepen your common mission to experience greater impact for others, your marriage and God’s kingdom.
Tim and Toby met at Dillard’s in college, raised two kids, and love to work, garden, and travel together. They love serving locally and especially in Uganda. Their church home is Faith Family in Fayette.
MEN’S WORKSHOP
Overcoming the Lies I Believe that Hurt my Marriage
Jamie has decades of experience bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas.
Starting with a distinguished career in law enforcement his unconventional efforts to bring about societal and racial reconciliation led him to Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, and back to the US. He has worked with leaders in a variety of sectors, from police departments to pro football teams to faith-based organizations.
Jamie is the author of Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God.
WOMEN’S WORKSHOP
Overcoming the Lies I Believe that Hurt my Marriage
Donna left the American dream with Jamie and their three boys and spent 25 years raising their family in the Middle East. This was a journey that would forever change their worldview.
She discovered the principles of the Kingdom of God as demonstrated by Jesus. When put into daily practice, these principles result in peace that surpasses understanding and truth that results in genuine freedom – even in a culture of war, terrorism, death, and conflict.
Donna is the author of our Knowing Rediscovered series and Becoming What You Believe online course.
CONFERENCE SHIRTS
T-shirts are available for purchase at the conference. Limited quantities and sizes will be available. Payment by cash is preferred but an electronic form will also be available.
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
6:30 Main Session #1
8:00 Break
8:15 Main Session #2
9:15 End
SATURDAY
9:00 Welcome
9:30 Couples Workshops
10:30 Break
10:45 Main Session #3
11:45 Lunch
12:45 Mens/Womens Workshop
1:30 Couples Workshops
2:35 Main Session #4
4:00 End
FAQs
-
While this event is taking place at Forum Christian Church, it is open to all married and engaged couples no matter if you have a church home or not.
-
All teaching from the main sessions and workshops will be gospel-based and rooted in God's word.
-
The conference is at Forum Christian Church (3900 Forum Boulevard) in Columbia, MO.
-
Engaged or married couples of all ages are welcome. We design the conference to be applicable and enjoyable for couples in their 20’s to their 90’s. If you feel your marriage is as good as it gets, great, please come share your wisdom with those not as far along the path! If you’re struggling to stay together, be encouraged and gain new tools to grow together.
-
We have always had a vision that this conference would bring together couples from all over the area, regardless of church affiliation. To do that, we need couples like you to help spread the word and get your churches involved. Simply put your church/community name in the ambassador field on the conference registration form and we’ll reach out.
An ambassador shares about the conference with church leadership or the group, invites members/friends to attend, gets communication out to the church body or the group however applicable whether flyers, digital, etc (provided by us). Ambassadors with seven or more couples attending from their church/community (by March 21) can get a reserved spot for their group (if desired) to sit in at the conference and free shirts for you as a couple to show our appreciation for you inviting others in! Just fill out the form with the button below once your group has signed up. Thanks in advance for joining in and leading out as we strive to strengthen and encourage marriages!
-
We have a block of rooms with a king bed at Courtyard by Marriot for just $149 (regularly $229)! These rooms and rates are available until March 22. Simply call 573.443.8000 and request a room for the COMO Marriage Conference. If wanting to book after March 22, they will still honor the special pricing if there are available rooms; ask to talk with the sales department. The hotel is loated at 3301 Lemone Industrial Blvd, Columbia, MO 65201.
-
Doors open at 6:00PM on Friday night and the conference will begin at 6:30PM. We recommend coming at least 15 minutes early to get your folder & t-shirts, grab some snacks, and talk with other couples. If your schedule allows, we recommend grabbing dinner out beforehand, as a chance to connect and talk about your expectations for the evening. On Saturday, doors open at 8:30AM and the conference resumes at 9:00AM.
-
If so, as a token of our appreciation, use the code MINISTER to get 50% off your registration fee. We value the work you both do pouring into others and are so glad you’re taking time to pour into God and each other.
-
Childcare will not be provided during the conference. Our hope is that this will be a time for you to “get away” so you can receive all God has for you. In order to keep your weekend free of distractions and as a courtesy to other guests, we do not allow children in our sessions, including nursing infants. We do have a quiet room where you are free to pump.
-
Thank you for understanding that the Marriage Matters Conference registration is non-transferable and non-refundable. In the event you are unable to attend the conference, you may gift or sell your registration to another couple. If you sell or gift your registration to another couple, please email events@forumchristian.org immediately to cancel your registration and the new attendees must email events@formchristian.org to get registered immediately before the conference. If you do not sell or gift your registration it becomes a donation to the Marriage Matters ministry and will be used to cover costs of the conference or registration for other attendees. If you would like to receive a tax donation credit, please send an email to events@forumchristian.org BEFORE the conference with your name and physical address information.
-
Yes! If costs are what is keeping you from attending the conference, please use the code SCHOLARSHIP to get 50% off your full conference registration (Fri&Sat). By only using this if needed, we can continue to offer this to couples who could use the assistance.
-
We will have complimentary snacks and drinks available throughout the weekend. Lunch on Saturday is also included in your registration fee.
-
Yes! We have several couples who rely on sponsorship to attend. To sponsor a couple, just add extra on your registration form. We’ve made it in $5 increments so you can cover the entire cost or a partial amount. Every little bit counts and others will be blessed because of your generosity.
-
Email us at events@forumchristian.org.
Couples who laugh, learn and adventure together, grow together.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
A time to look back at the conference and see how God has been at work the past month as well as a time to look forward and see where God is leading you as a couple.
Childcare is available for only $5 per kid. Sign up/payment for childcare is on registration form. Childcare registration ends on Sunday, May 12.
Sign up opens January 25 and ends May 16.