Instepministries.com Newsletter

Stepping Up

April, 2007
Volume IV #4

Mark Your CalendarsCharlotte, North Carolina
June 4th -8th
2007 Association
of Marriage and
Family Ministries
(AMFM) National
ConferenceStep Couples Intensive
Jeff and Judi will be leading several weekend intensives this fall at a local bed and breakfast. The format will be Friday evening and all-day Saturday and will be limited to six couples per weekend.
Call 1-888-5InStep for detailsOnline Forum
Topics include:
Stepfamilies,
Single Adults,
Single Parents,
and more!
Register Now at
instepministries.com

Through A Child's Eyes
Tucson and Phoenix
area; coming this fall, locations TBA. Workshops will focus
on understanding the impact of divorce and remarriage on children.

Developing Healthy Relationships
Jeff and Judi Parziale and the InStep team will teach an ongoing one-year seminar based on their book, Developing Healthy Relationships.
1st Sat of Each Month
10Am - 1pm
Equally Yoked, Phoenix
3rd Sat Each Month 10am - 1pm
Equally Yoked, Tucson
Call 520-721-0800
for details

Tucson Association of Evangelicals (TAE)
April 12th 11:30-1pm
First Southern Baptist Church
Host: Ron Hart, Pastor
May 10th 11:30-1pm
Rincon Mountain Presbyterian Church
Host: Phil Krus, Pastor
For more information, call 721-0800 or go to www.TucsonFaith.net

Lancaster, PA
March 15-16th 1st
Annual House on
the Rock Family
Conference

Welcome to InStep's monthly E-Newsletter!

Each month we feature practical information for singles, single parents and stepfamilies to help you achieve healthy, authentic relationships. This E-newsletter also provides articles and resources to assist those who are developing or are involved in a non-traditional family ministry. If this newsletter is helpful to you, please let us know.

Personal Communiqué Jeff & Judi Parziale

Most folks seek out a sunny beach during Spring Break. We however, were invited to speak at the first Family Ministry Conference of Central Pennsylvania, hosted by House on the Rock Family Ministries. We arrived in Baltimore on March 15th with fellow conference speakers, Eric and Jennifer Garcia, Co-Founders of the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries (AMFM). As we drove toward Lancaster, PA, our destination, we encountered rain that turned to sleet. The next morning there was snow on the ground and more was in the forecast; we were in for one of the famous "Nor'easters." Having come from almost 90 degrees in Southern AZ to snow and temperatures in the low- 20s in PA was quite an experience for us desert dwellers. It was, however, a beautiful scene!

Our conference hosts, Dr. Bruce McCracken and Michael "Kapp" Brown, provided a warm welcome that included stocking our hotel rooms with snacks and fresh apples (the size of grapefruits) from the local orchards. The Garcias began the conference with a challenging keynote message for all participants. We taught four workshops during course of the conference. We were blessed to have the opportunity to meet with pastors and lay leaders to discuss the needs of Single Parents and Stepfamilies in Central PA.

Many participants expressed an interest in ministering to single parents and stepfamilies in their local churches. Following the conference, Bruce and Karen McCracken hosted a wonderful dinner at their home. Believe it or not-- after shoveling about 7 inches of snow off the patio, the barbequed steaks! Now that is Central PA hospitality at its best.

Happy Easter. He is risen!

Research Update

The following is preliminary data from researcher Peggy Vaughn about how to prevent marital affairs. The list was compiled through numerous interviews.

1. Having ongoing honest communication about all marital issues - 79.3%
2. Taking the marriage vows seriously/intending to be faithful - 52.6%
3. Maintaining professional boundaries with co-workers - 52.2%
4. Having high moral principles and/or strong religious convictions - 41.9%
5. Trying to meet your partner's needs - 36.3%
6. Having a satisfying marital sex life - 35.5%
7. Having mutual trust - 34.8%
8. Acknowledging and discussing attractions to others - 34.2%
9. Being concerned about hurting your partner and the children - 32.3%

Five Myths About Emotional Wounds (Part Two)

An ancient principle reminds us to look for Salvation in the darkest, most painful parts of our lives. We emerge into the light not by denying our pain, but by walking through it. The common turn of phrase we apply to this wonderful action of grace is: "That was a blessing in disguise.

~ Jaon Borysenko--Guilt is the Teacher, Love is the lesson ~

Our last newsletter examined five misbeliefs about our emotional and spiritual woundedness.

1. MY LIFE MUST BE ORGANIZED AROUND MY WOUND.

2. WITHOUT MY WOUND, I'D BE ALL ALONE.

3. MY AWFUL AND PAINFUL LIFE MEANS THAT I AM SICK.

4. ALL EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS ARE THE RESULT OF TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES.

5. AT THIS POINT IN LIFE, I AM HELD PRISONER BY MY WOUNDS.

Life wounds all of us, but we don't have to become our wounds or let them define us. Galatians 5:13 reminds us that we have been called to live in freedom. What steps can we take to "walk through" our wounds toward freedom in Christ? Read more

Remarriage moments

Five Keys to Remarriage Success

1. Be prepared
2. Be healthy
3. Be patient and flexible
4. Be realistic
5. Be connected

Stories Still Needed!

We are involved in a new project, and we need your help! If you have a stepfamily or single parent ministry that you have started or participate in, we want to learn from you about what worked and/or what did not work. Whether you have used others' or our resources, we are interested in hearing about your experience. Please email your stories or comments to InStepMin@aol.com and label the subject line as "ministry story". We look forward to hearing from you!

Upcoming Events

AMFM 2007 National Conference.
Charlotte, North Carolina June 4-8. Mark Gungor, Norm Wright and John Trent are just a few of the presenters at this year's conference. Workshops in every area of marriage and family ministry are available. Jeff and Judi will be offering a training course during the pre-conference toward a certificate in Single-Parent/Stepfamily Ministry as well as presenting a keynote address, God Still Uses Broken People. Mark your calendars now for this incredible event. Watch our newsletter for further details and workshop descriptions. If you are involved in marriage and family ministry at any level, this conference is for you. www.amfmonline.com to register.

Stepcouple Intensives
Jeff and Judi will be leading several weekend intensives this fall at a local bed and breakfast. The format will be Friday evening and all-day Saturday and will be limited to six couples per weekend. If you are looking to strengthen your relationship and understand the challenges of marriage in a stepfamily, then plan a weekend with the Parziales. Call 1-888-5InStep for details.

Through a Child's Eyes
Tucson and Phoenix area; coming this fall, locations TBA. Workshops will focus on understanding the impact of divorce and remarriage on children.

Developing Healthy Relationships
Jeff and Judi Parziale and the InStep team will teach an ongoing one-year seminar based on their book, Developing Healthy Relationships. The predominate theme throughout the seminar is, "You cannot be in healthy relationships if you are not spiritually and emotionally healthy." This seminar will help you apply the vital steps necessary to become a healthy single adult. (Coming soon in DVD format). Call 520-721-0800 for details.

Date Time Place Phone
The 1st Saturday /each month
10:00 - 1:00pm Equally Yoked, Phoenix (602) 279-7744

The 3rd Saturday/ each month
10:00 - 1:00pm Equally Yoked, Tucson (520) 882-9778

Tucson Association of Evangelicals (TAE)

Date Time Place Host
April 12
11:30 - 1:00pm First Southern Baptist Church Ron Hart, Pastor

May 10
11:30 - 1:00pm Rincon Mountain Presbyterian Church Phil Krus, Pastor

For more information, call 721-0800 or go to: www.TucsonFaith.net.

Mentoring Training
InStep is looking for 6-8 couples to train as remarriage mentors. Please email us if you are interested.

Ministering to Today's Families

InStep's purpose is to serve the local church. Our mission is to impact our culture for Christ by equipping local churches to effectively minister to the unique needs of today's non-traditional families. To that end, we have developed a one-day workshop based on our workbook, Thirsty People Sitting at Wells: Developing a Stepfamily Ministry in Your Local Church. We provide hands-on training in key aspects of ministry development, including team building, needs assessment, goal setting and program development and evaluation. Workshop costs are by donation. For more information, call us toll free at 1-888-5INSTEP.

INTRODUCING InStep Affiliate Programs

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROJECT
Debbie Harsh-Kightlinger M.S.W., is the director of our new Domestic Violence division. She is available for case consultations and training workshops for churches or faith-based organizations. Please contact her at 520-349-4036.

SELAH COUNSELING, CONSULTING AND MENTORING
Teresa Kolodny, (Ph.D. Cand.) MA, LISAC, LPC is the director of Selah. She will provide direct counseling and consulting services to our community as well as create partnering relationships with other nonprofits and service agencies. Teresa can be contacted at 520-370-9032.

Get Involved

involved

Fund-Raising Campaign/ New Opportunities: We are excited about several new projects in the line-up for 2007 including: parenting training and support for single parents; a care program for children in single parent and stepfamily homes; and a mentoring training program. We are also partnering with Harvest Media Ministries to create video modules for several of our resources. Please prayerfully consider becoming involved in reaching non-traditional families for Christ. We cannot do these projects without your help. (Your donations to InStep Ministries are tax deductible.)
Prayer requests: Please continue to pray that God will raise up several volunteers, as well as ministry partners. Could this be you?
Online Forum: Register atwww.instepministries.com to participate in our new online forum! Topics include Stepfamilies, Single Adults, Single Parents, and more!

About Instep Ministries

We are a 501c3 faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to serving singles, single parents and stepfamilies and those who minister to them. Our purpose is to influence our culture for Christ. Our passion is to equip people for life. Our vision is to see every single, single parent or stepfamily member connected to a faith community, where they can build authentic relationships, find healing and be equipped to serve. Our mission is to provide resources, counseling and other services that are practical, Biblical, and affordable. InStep is passionate about serving the local church and the millions of individuals in non-traditional families. To learn more about InStep, visit our website:http://www.instepministries.com

For details and updates on InStep activities,
call 520-721-0800 or send email to: Instepmin@aol.com
To order InStep resources, call 1-888-5INSTEP. If you enjoy this newsletter, please forward this newsletter to a friend. If you would like to start a support group or stepfamily ministry in your area, please contact us-- we can help! InStep is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit ministry. Donations are tax-deductible and always welcome. Thank you for your support. Please keep us in your prayers.