Banquet Gala Huge Success!

CHRISTIAN NEWS NORTHWEST, December, 2010
MarriageTeam Ministry Celebrates Expansion at First Annual Gala
Vancouver, Wash.

Celebrating nearly five years of ministry- and a doubling of volunteer staff and saved families each year for those five years- the Vancouver-based MarriageTeam ministry came together last month with more than 200 of its supporters to celebrate God’s work of saving marriages.

On Saturday, Nov. 13, Mike Donahue from KOIN Local 6 TV emceed this first annual gathering at the Heathman Lodge to raise awareness and funding for this life-altering coach based ministry.

The MarriageTeam program is designed to equip Christian couples to coach other couples through communication issues, learn healthy resolution techniques and implement agreements to improve their marriage – with an ultimate goal of saving their marriage.

This event raised more than $51,000 which will be used to help MarriageTeam fulfill its vision of raising up an army of Christian volunteer couples across the nation with a simple but effective message of hope and empowerment.
“We are remarkably pleased with the outcome from Saturday’s gala event – since this was the first one we’ve done,” remarked co-founder Alan Ray. “We are so glad to see how the community is reaching out to embrace the message God has for families – there is hope, there are solutions – divorce is not the only option for struggling couples.”

MarriageTeam works with more than 110 volunteer coach couples from 35 different communities and 66 churches. Coaches have already equipped more than 1,000 individuals with the tools necessary to create winning marriages.
“We have literally seen people rip up their divorce papers after they’ve gone through our marriage coaching program,” says Ray.

MarriageTeam hopes to make a significant impact in the more than 7,000 average divorces in just the greater-Portland area that affect more than 6,000 children annually.
MarriageTeam trains Christian couples free of charge in the Portland-Vancouver area to be coaches and places couples with those couples for winning marriages.

For more information about MarriageTeam’s work to end the rising tide of divorce, go to marriageteam.org or phone 360-450-6042