How Melanie Got involved

You might have noticed that in January, Gateway's Marriage Initiative was signed "from Gateway Church", but this month, it is signed "from Pastor Bill and Melanie". Why the change?

After Pastor Bob and Pastor Bill first talked about how they could encourage marriages at Gateway, Pastor Bill began working on ideas and a strategy that Gateway would begin to pursue in 2015. But then Pastor Bob's wife, Kristi (wisely) asked, "Is there a woman working on this?"

Pastor Bill and Melanie 30th Anniversary

Bill and I have always enjoyed working in ministry together. Throughout the first 10 of our almost 20 years at Gateway, we spent many hours meeting with engaged couples preparing them for marriage, teaching marriage classes and partnering together to help couples in crisis.

But in the last 10 years, due to my (Melanie) health situation, those have become more and more difficult. In the last several years, not only have I not been able to join Bill in these activities, I am rarely able to even come to church due to my illness.

This has been a very sad thing for both of us. I keep connected as best I can through Facebook and by listening to the sermons online each week. But working together in ministry is something we both miss very much.

As Pastor Bill was working on the January challenge, we spent an evening talking through his ideas. It's not an unusual thing for him to share with me what he's been doing and how things are going at Gateway, but this time, we began brainstorming together. By the end of the evening we had narrowed the focus and put together a great group of discussions for the first month of the Marriage Initiative.

Suddenly, we had a ministry we could work on together again! And Pastor Bill could reassure Pastor Bob who could reassure Kristi that a woman was working on it too!

Pastor Bill and I are passionate about not only helping people not have problems in marriage, but to have really great relationships. We know that's possible because we have an amazing friendship and marriage. But it hasn't just been "luck". It's taken a lot of hard work.

We're relying on 31 years of working on our own marriage as well as the experience we have in helping others to develop these monthly challenges. We have a clear purpose and plan for 2015 and we are both excited to have an opportunity to encourage all of you!

We are so glad you have decided to join in and we hope and pray that you and your spouse will experience great things in your relationship this year!

Joyfully and sincerely,
Melanie