Upcoming In Sync seminar unlike most marriage events

Many marriage seminars are put in place to help couples deal with stressful issues that may be weighing down their marriage. Issues like finances, intimacy and dealing with differences in their lives are often at the center of the seminars.

One approaching marriage seminar is taking on a very different focus.

The upcoming seminar, Celebration of Marriage “In Sync,” will take place at The Gardens at Homestead in Mt. Hope April 8-9. In Sync will be a two-day event designed to help spouses celebrate the purpose and passion in their lives together and rejoice in living out a marriage that is fulfilling.

The focal point of the event will be on kingdom marriage, a concept that was promoted by Pastor Tony Evans. In fleshing out the meaning of the topic, Evans said a kingdom marriage is about God and his will playing a central role in a marriage.

The hope of the event coordinators is the seminar will help each couple be in sync with one another.

The very definition of a couple being in sync with one another is seeing them live in a state in which they agree with or match one another and work together properly.

Celebrating that type of accomplishment in a marriage is something the promoters from Door of Hope Ministry want to embellish.

The presenters for In Sync will be Jason and Fern Schlabach and Julian and Janie Borntrager.

Jason Schlabach, founder, and CEO of Door of Hope Ministry, which is presenting the marriage seminars in both Ohio and Indiana, said he had the idea for the marriage seminar put on his heart by God.

However, rather than focus on some of the troubling issues that can arise in marriages, he wanted to focus more on celebrating the sanctity and love that can come from having God steering a marriage.

“The focus of the seminar is to focus on celebrating and recognizing the good and positive things in marriage,” said Jennifer Maust, event coordinator. “So often marriage conferences are based on how couples can find help in overcoming issues they are having. That’s not a bad thing because there are difficulties in marriage. However, we want this to be a celebration of what God designed marriage to be and how walking along with him in marriage is a beautiful thing.”

The Friday evening session will begin with registration from 1-2 p.m., with the evening ending around 9 p.m. Dinner will be served. On Saturday, the morning sessions will be from 9:30 a.m. until noon, and after a break, couples will reconvene at 4 p.m. for a formal sweetheart meal, with sessions picking up again following the meal.

“The sweetheart dinner is going to be a formal but relaxing and fun meal that will allow couples to simply enjoy being with one another in a neat setting,” Maust said. “It will almost take on a wedding dinner type vibe where they can celebrate, participate in some fun games and we can honor them for living a marriage committed to one another and to God.”

While Pastor Evans will talk at length about the kingdom marriage, Maust said of Schlabach, “That is definitely a Jason Schlabach thing too. He is very passionate about the topic, and he learned a great deal from Tony Evans. Jason’s passion is learning what it is like to incorporate all aspects of our life to kingdom living on both the personal and couple level.”

While the Schlabachs and Bontragers will be the main presenters in sharing topics designed to celebrate marriage, there also will be a pair of couples who will share their personal testimony on their marriages. Those couples are Dave and Christina Stoltzfus and Macaiah and Stefanie Mast, who will enhance the power of living in a blessed marriage built on God and faith.

With this being the first endeavor of this kind for Door of Hope Ministry, Maust said they aren’t sure what to expect, but they are excited about going for the ride.

Tickets for the event may be purchased at www.doorofhopeministry.com or by calling the office at 828-859-0126. Friday, April 8 will feature an evening program while the Saturday, April 9 program will feature both a morning and evening gathering.

The Gardens at Homestead is located at 8226 state Route 241 in Mt. Hope.