One Story

Prepared for forever

Back in 2005, Lee and Maria Propst sat in the very front row of what was then Christ Fellowship’s Wellington Campus and longed to sing in the choir and serve as greeters. They wanted to commit to being part of the church they love, but what they mostly hid was that they were sharing a house but were yet to even commit fully to each other.

"I knew it was all wrong," said Maria, who was only just ending her first marriage. "I felt like I was the woman at the well," as if everyone she met could read her mind and know her sins.

Though still not married, Lee and Maria continued to worship and grow in the Lord at Christ Fellowship. But their Small Group leaders helped convince them that wasn’t good enough.

A challenge to do better

"What kind of witness would you be," they challenged, "if someone moved in across the street from you and you claimed to be Christians, but were still living together outside of marriage?"

And so Lee found another place to live. "I moved out for purity, and because we wanted to do things right," he says. After they began to live apart, their faith continued to blossom. Maria says through their commitment to create a God-honoring relationship, she was truly renewed.

"I felt as white as snow," she remembers.

After completing the Prep for Marriage course, in April of 2007 Lee and Maria were the first couple to be married on the Royal Palm Campus, committing their lives to each other before friends, family and, most important, God.

Engaged to help others

Today, they witness to other couples – especially those entering second marriages -- about their struggles and their eventual decision to honor God and each other in marriage.

"Because Maria and I both have been hurt so much by our previous divorces, we feel we have been called to help marriages get started on the right foot, especially second marriages," Lee says. Maria agrees: "I’m so honored in my heart that God has forgiven me and has chosen us to help other people who have been divorced."

Their own relationship continues to grow stronger daily, it seems. And there’s no comparison between just living together and being so happily married.

"I just feel more love and respect in the house," Maria says thoughtfully. "It’s ordained by God."

Preparation for Marriage is a dynamic, six-week program designed to help couples lay the foundation for a strong, biblical relationship.