Matthew and Marisa (married 09/04):
We began the process of planning for our marriage by seeking the most rigorous marriage preparation program that we could find. Nearly a year later, having completed the Marriage Preparation program at Community Presbyterian Church, we can say that CPC and CPC's program exceeded all of our expectations. In general, we are extremely impressed at how seriously CPC takes the process of preparing for marriage. It is equally impressive that CPC is part of a community of churches throughout the city who share this attitude of seriousness. The structure and content of this marriage preparation process is so valuable that we have already begun to offer it as the benchmark to other churches outside of Ventura.
    ...particulary appreciated the mentoring provided by our designated mentor couple. Despite the draining schedule that we faced as two working professionals trying to plan a large wedding, our meetings with our mentor couple were always enerizing and uplifting. They shared with us their model of a strong Christian family, complete with strategies for overcoming the challenges of raising a Christian family in this day and age. There is real comfort in knowing that they will continue to walk with us as mentors through the coming months of our marriage.
    We also cannot talk about CPC's marriage preparation program without addressing CPC's expectation of sexual purity on the part of engaged couples. ...many engaged couples would view celibacy as a sacrifice, we feel that we gained something tremendous as, in remaining celibate, we were able to develop an intimacy and closeness that we did not know was possible.
    Every element of the program was invaluable in preparing us for a life together. With all that we learned and experienced as part of this program, it is difficult for us to imagine starting a marriage with anything less than the tools that CPC equipped us with.

Jim and Kim (married 04/01):
...nowhere in today's society do you get any training on what a marriage is meant to be. Being led through the personality inventories, the biblical foundation of marriage and the host of financial and relationship issues beforehand gave us wonderful guidance for defining what our marital roles and responsibilities would be.
    Our time with our mentor couple gave us personal insights into real marital situations, allowing us to discuss how issues develop and are resolved, and what works to prevent conflicts from becoming marital problems. They inspired us to pray together as a couple and are a great example of how God works in a successful marriage.
    We know that we will have challenges in the future, and if we work to establish a home of safety and growth in the other, the storms will pass and we will be on firm ground. We personally recommend the premarital program to those contemplating marriage. The training opens your mind to how a marriage relationship needs to be built in order to be fruitful, starting with God at the foundation, and it introduces you to new resources and friends in the process. 

Robert & Kelly (married 06/07):
The premarital preparation gave us a stronger foundation in making God a priority in our marriage. The Christian pre-marital counseling gave us more insight about each other and reassured us we have what it takes to make it! We were placed with the perfect mentor couple who had faced the same challenges as a blended family, which has helped us in having another couple to relate to and learn how to deal with issues in a Christian manner. Overall, we feel the process has made us closer to God and a stronger couple, ready to face any challenges he puts before us.

Rick and Shelby (married 09/04):
After dating for over four years, the decision to marry seemed natural. We loved each other deeply, had been through so much together, and most importantly felt God calling us to  marry. But before embarking on the wild journey that is marriage, we wanted to come to a more complete understanding of what God intended fro the marriage relationship. The Marriage Keepers program addressed this need completely. With a combination of Christian counseling, biblical studies, mentoring and abstinence, we established the foundation for a strong marriage relationship. We wholeheartedly recommend this program to any couple considering marriage for those recently married, and, most importantly, those looking for a roadmap to a successful marriage.

Michael and Melissa (married 07/07):
The CPC marriage preparation process really helped us grow as a couple. The strength, power, conviction of love, and willingness to accept each other was complete before we ever said our vows, and when the day came for us to say our vows, they were that much more meaningful and solid.  The counseling sessions really were a great way to bring up topics we may not have discussed which in turn brought us closer. The teachings of our pastor and counselor were incredibly meaningful, and observing our mentor couple helped us appreciate our next step in our relationship with each other and God. We were a strong couple to begin with and just strengthened our bond even further throughout the entire process. We've had so many of our married friends, and even divorced ones, say to us how they wish a marriage prep process was available when they got married because they saw how strong it made us as a couple.

Other Feedback:

We learned communication skills...how to talk to each other without attacking or degrading each other.

The program was well-balanced based on the test results.

We addressed issues that we had not even thought of and were able to comfortably discuss them...with help and guidance.

I learned to be open and objective with my mate.