Relationships | Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

Marriage
Married Life Prep
Marriage Enrichment
Weddings at MDPC
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It has been said that Christianity moves at the speed of relationships. Our personal connections, both our vertical relationship (with God) and our horizontal relationships (with others), are vitally important to our ongoing spiritual, emotional, and mental health. Because we are designed for intimacy, when we stay well-tethered, we thrive. To that end, the Relationships Ministries of MDPC reflect a wide breadth of connectional experiences that will help you and your family grow deeper in the love of Christ and the love of one another. We hope to serve with you as we flourish together.

Marriage

There is no greater contribution to society today than to have strong marriages and healthy families walking out of church on Sunday and into the culture on Monday...

Yet this is no small task. Some now view marriage as one of the riskiest ventures taken in one’s life. After all, married couples are usually made up of two very different individuals who are now making a decision to attempt to live harmoniously together in a permanent relationship for life. Frankly, it’s a ridiculous notion – without God’s help!

When reality does not match the idealistic aspirations often held about marriage, MDPC's Marriage Ministry is here to help. Couples are guided into and through the hard transformational work of becoming more selfless, and led to prayerfully experience the fullness of this special relationship designed by God.

Society benefits many times over from each successful marriage. That’s why we in Marriage Ministry are committed to encouraging, training, and equipping couples both inside and outside the church to strengthen their marriages.

Married Life Prep

Married Life Prep, a free 8-hour series taught over four weeks, is open to dating couples, engaged couples, newlyweds, and young marrieds.

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Marriage Enrichment

“Happily ever after.” That’s what the world tells us the goal is, doesn’t it? When we make a covenant with our spouse, we sign up for all of life’s unknowns.

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Married Life Prep

Many of us enter marriage with extraordinary expectations of how perfect that relationship will be. While, in reality, no marriage is even close to perfect, a marriage that is centered on and empowered by God can nevertheless be the most satisfying of human relationships. We want to help engaged and young married couples experience a rich fullness in marriage.

Married Life Prep, a free 8-hour series, is open to dating couples, engaged couples, newlyweds, and young marrieds. It combines Biblical teaching with the best current marriage research. Taught at MDPC by Brett and Kellie Hurst of Home Encouragement®, the course is based on The Couple Checkup, a research-based online relationship inventory developed by Dr. David Olson and Dr. Peter Larson of Life Innovations, Inc. Married Life Prep also features insights from the New York Times best seller The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by Dr. John M. Gottman, internationally known marriage authority. Time magazine has acknowledged Dr. Gottman as a pioneer in his field. His studies, focused on creating and sustaining happy marriages, are cited by many prominent marriage experts in the world.

Research has shown certain types of marriage preparation programs to be particularly effective at preventing divorce, lowering the risk by as much as 75% when couples practice specific relationship skills. Married Life Prep is approved by Twogether in Texas. Through cooperation with the State of Texas, most Married Life Prep graduates will be able to have their Texas marriage license fee waived.

January 2025 MLP Registration

July 2025 MLP Registration

Marriage Enrichment

At MDPC, we stand with you at each step in your marriage journey. Our desire is to come alongside couples to help them build strong foundations for their future together. We encourage an intimate relationship with God and one another so that married couples can grow closer and healthier through each stage of family life.

Dinner and a Marriage

Need a special date night? Be part of a Dinner and a Marriage® live event in the Houston area presented by Home Encouragement®.

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Marriage Tune-Ups

Home Encouragement offers private 90-minute Marriage Tune-Ups to help marriages move in the direction of hitting on all cylinders! Led by Kellie & Brett Hurst, couples spend a more focused time (either in person or via Zoom) learning how to better work as a team in their individual marriages. In a relaxed setting, Marriage Tune-Ups are designed to enhance better overall marriage harmony and intimacy. The suggested minimum donation to Home Encouragement is $100 per couple.

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Marriage to the Max

Marriage to the Max is a fun and encouraging conversation about healthy marriage! Join marriage educators Brett & Kellie Hurst of Home Encouragement as they help couples take their marriages to the next level. MTTM episodes can be accessed at the link below. You may also join listeners worldwide who have already subscribed to the free Marriage to the Max podcast on iTunes.

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Marriage Retreat 2024

Join Brett and Kellie Hurst of Home Encouragement and get away for a fun and intentional weekend together focused around your married life. This special experience will include a comfortable atmosphere, excellent food, a one-on-one date night with your spouse, as well as expert teaching from Brett and Kellie, longtime marriage educators.They'll share their wisdom and personal experiences about growing deeper in their married love and life.

Saturday-Sunday, Oct 5-6 • Noon-Noon
Moody Gardens Resort in Galveston
Sessions are on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Saturday night is "date night", free for you to enjoy the hotel grounds or local attractions.

$240/couple includes accommodations, two meals, and materials. Partial scholarships available.

Weddings at MDPC

Thank you for your interest in celebrating your wedding at MDPC!

We believe that a wedding is a beautiful opening celebration of a spiritually rich lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. Moreover, we want your wedding to be a solid foundation of a blessed, permanent marriage. With these goals in mind, we are here to support both MDPC members and non-members and they embark on this journey, beginning with the initial planning, pre-marital counseling, and wedding ceremony and continuing throughout the marriage in a variety of courses and programs.

MDPC offers picturesque facilities and a gifted staff committed to assisting you in preparing a special event that will glorify God, honor the families of the bride and groom, and create a memorable event for all present. We invite you to tour our campus and meet those who can help guide you to a most blessed experience as you become one in Christ as husband and wife.

To obtain more information on Weddings at MDPC, please contact Meghan Garvin, MDPC Wedding Coordinator, at . To inquire as to wedding availability, please complete the Wedding Inquiry Form below. We encourage all interested parties to read our Wedding Information and Policies Booklet, available below.