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Welcome to the Care, Prayer & Response Ministry
The Care, Prayer and Response ministry exists to provide help to those hurting, prayer for every person regardless of their situation and resources to live a life that pleases God. We accomplish these goals through multiple ministries.
As you look through the Care, Prayer and Response section of the Western Hills website you will find detailed explanations about our various ministries and how you can be a part of them as we serve our community and church members.
The Prayer part of our CPR Team is all about praying for those in the Western Hills Church and Community. Post your Prayer Requests below:
One of the ways that Western Hills’ CPR ministry offers support is in the area of preparing for marriage:
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Your Decision To Marry Is A Commitment
We’re excited to have the opportunity to invest in this commitment and your upcoming marriage. Our premarital counseling is offered to members and non-members of Western Hills Church.
If you would like to be married at Western Hills Church or desire a Western Hills pastor to officiate your wedding ceremony, you must complete our premarital counseling program.
To begin the process, please complete the Wedding Information Form, and both the bride and groom questionnaires. Please contact us to schedule a premarital interview. Interviews are scheduled on Monday and Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Your premarital interview must be scheduled at least four months prior to your wedding date.
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Pre-Marriage FAQ’s
What happens at the premarital interview?
The bride and groom will meet with a member of the pastoral staff to discuss wedding plans and details of the questionnaires. An overview of the counseling program is discussed. Premarital couples also receive their program materials (workbooks, CD’s, etc.) at the time of the premarital interview. Specific requirements to be married at Western Hills Church or by a Western Hills pastor are also discussed. (See question #2)
Following the interview, the couple will be asked to complete an Inventory and Personality Test. These tests help to to alert the premarital counselors to areas that need specific attention. They also help to identify areas of strength in the relationship. The premarital counseling experience is uniquely designed to meet the needs of each couple.
What are the specific requirements to be married at Western Hills Church or by a Western Hills pastor?
All premarital couples must complete our four-week counseling program. In addition, the pastors of Western Hills Church have determined the following qualifications, based on Biblical truths:
1) Bride and groom must individually confess a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Western Church will not marry unbelievers, or join an unbeliever to a believer in marriage (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). God´s Word is clear about spiritual compatability between marriage partners.
2) Bride and groom must abstain from physical intimacy or living together. Sex is a gift from God. He is the one who created it! Therefore, we must follow God´s directions alone regarding our sexuality. The Bible gives us clear instructions for sex within the parameters of the marriage relationship (2 Corinthians 6:3) God’s Word also gives us clear warnings and consequences when sex is used outside of marriage.
While many of those who come to Western Hills Church are honoring God through abstaining from sexual intimacy, there are many that do not fall into this category. Couples who are physically intimate or are living together are asked to move apart and covenant with Western Hills Church to abstain from their sexual relationship until their wedding day. We would like the opportunity to encourage you to make this commitment with us, understanding that this is God’s best for your marriage relationship.
What is the cost of the Western Hills Church premarital counseling program? The cost for members of Western Hills Church (all those who have attended Class 101 and have been baptized) is $150. The cost to non-members is $250. This cost covers workbooks, CD’s and other counseling materials. It also pays for the administration and scoring of the Daybreak Premarital Counseling inventory Report. Our premarital counselors are not paid, they have chosen premarital counseling as a special ministry opportunity.
Scholarships for the cost of this program are available upon request.
Who does the premarital counseling? Your premarital counseling will be done with a married couple who has received special premarital training. These couples have been married for at least ten years and exemplify Christ-centered marriages. They are open and honest about sharing their experiences in their own marriage.
You will work with the same counselors for the full duration of your premarital counseling. Although these counselors are specifically trained in the area of premarital counseling, they are not professional, licensed counselors. They have chosen premarital counseling as their ministry at Western Hills Church. One of the goals of the ministry is to provide all premarital couples an opportunity to establish a mentoring relationship with their counseling couple, thus encouraging their present and future connection to their Western Hills Church family.
What do we talk about at the counseling sessions? You will discuss many subjects throughout your time together. These subjects include marital roles and responsibilities; skills for communicating and resolving conflicts; realistic management of finances; your sexual relationship; your family of origin; and much more! Your relationship strengths will be discussed, as well as areas that need growth.
Although the program is designed to cover certain topics, your counselors will design your time together to fit your individual needs. Details of the six sessions are discussed during your premarital interview. Homework assignments are given prior to each session to enhance your understanding (and promote discussion) of the material.
Are there any additional activities involved in premarital counseling? Individual financial counseling is available upon request.
What should I expect from the premarital counseling experience? You should expect to be challenged, strengthened, educated, and better prepared for your upcoming marriage. You will probably experience some laughs, some tears, and some pleasant surprises!
You should leave your premarital counseling with some problem areas identified, some new marital skills learned, and most importantly – a more realistic expection of what marriage will be like!
May God richly bless you individually, and as a couple, as you embark on this exciting journey together!
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate.” Mark 10:7-9 (NIV)
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Premarriage Covenant
“We are committed to God’s ways in preparing for our marriage. We agree to abstain from sexual intimacy until we share our marriage vows together. We believe it is God’s will for our life and marriage to be sanctified, to be set apart for pure and holy living.
“It is God´s will that you be sanctified; that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable…For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you His Holy Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
We also understand that God does not look at our past failures. Instead, He looks at us as broken people, who He can make anew. With His forgiveness, we can start all over again. As we ask God to forgive us through Jesus, He will see us as a completely new couple.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
We seek to trust God and honor Him by upholding His parameters of sexual intimacy within the context of our future marriage. We believe that with God´s power, we will be able to keep this covenant and be greatly blessed by our obedience to Him.
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