Quarterly Newsletter
Summer 2024

Many of us are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, "The Love Chapter", which concludes with verse 13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love." 

While this is perhaps the most commonly used verse at weddings and creates a blissful picture of a happy couple cultivating these 3 things within their marriage, the Apostle Paul also describes faith, hope, and love as pieces of armor for the Christian to wear in spiritual defense against outside forces — as he does in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 — "… let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of our hope of salvation."  

When we wield them correctly, these weapons protect us from an enemy who seeks to steal, kill and destroy our marriages. Putting daily action to your faith, hope, and love by praying together, serving one another, being in Christian fellowship as a couple, and conversing about what you are learning from God’s word will strengthen your internal union and make you impervious to external attack.

May we actively pursue faith, hope, and love in our lives; pray that the Lord fits us well with these pieces of armor; and use them willingly to guard the sanctity of our marriages.

~ Michael Moore, CCC Elder

Marriage Matters

Check out these helpful articles.

Couple in the Spotlight
Paul & Pam Cooper

In this and following newsletters, we hope to introduce you to a CCC couple seeking to glorify God by sharing what they’ve learned in marriage. Our first couple is Paul and Pam Cooper!

Q: What has God taught you about His design for marriage — individually and as a couple?

A: You must have the Lord at the forefront of your walk together. Without Him, it’s very difficult to make it without major conflict. Marriage under Christ is the center of God’s perfect plan for the family.

Q: What is your superpower as a couple?

A: We met in church, were married in the church, and have served in the church since ‘Day 1’. Most of our social life has revolved around our church family. The spiritual gifting we share revolves around discipleship, and God has allowed us to disciple others through short-term mission trips, small groups, and just being available to serve wherever He calls us. Discipleship is not complicated: it’s really just about cultivating and nourishing relationships through sharing your faith and what God has done in your life.

Q: What have you learned about negotiating conflict?

A: Be honest! Communicate about everything, no matter how difficult. If you address conflict in love, God will protect and heal your relationship, no matter the circumstances.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of our marriage ministry newsletter and wish you and your spouse a wonderful summer!

CCC’s marriage ministry aims to gather engaged and married couples together for the purpose of helping them grow in their relationship with Christ and go back to their families and out into the community with the life-changing message of His restorative, redemptive power.