MEET OUR EVENTS TEAM
Greg has a degree in pastoral studies, a certification as a life coach through the International Coaching Federation, and has ministered as a youth pastor, a lead pastor, and now a U.S. Missionary with Convoy of Hope/Rural Compassion.
Rachelle has a degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in counseling. She currently holds a Missouri professional counselor license and is a certified sex therapist with the American Board of Christian Sex Therapists. Presently, Rachelle works with couples at Focus Marriage Institute as a lead intensive therapist, and speaks with Greg at Focus on the Family marriage retreats.
Andy & Laura Tate
Andy is the Clinical Coordinator of Crisis Services at Burrell Behavioral Health, has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and a PhD. in Pastoral Counseling. He love the Kansas City Chiefs and spending time with family.
Laura is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has her own practice where she specializes in trauma therapy. (Laura Tate Counseling) and is an independent contractor at Focus on the Family/Hope Restored. She loves gardening, hiking, cooking, and spending time with family.
Andy & Laura have been married for 33 years. They have 3 adult sons and four beautiful granddaughters. They enjoy hiking, kayaking, and looking for fossils. They also like to try new restaurants every chance they get.
OUR STORY
We’re so glad you’re here!
Now for introductions: I am Rachelle and this is Greg and I would LOVE to know your story! But until we can meet for coffee …. here is ours!
Greg and I are crazy about each other, and love helping people like you have the marriage you’ve always longed for. We’ve traveled around for 30+ years together and have seen a thing or two: couples who do marriage and family great, and we also see those who struggle. You know the old saying “no pain, no gain” well I’m really one who would prefer it to be “no pain, no pain.” BUT… it seems like most of the valuable lessons that I learn come from difficult seasons.
Now, a bit of introduction about our passion for marriages:
RACHELLE’S STORY
We had been married for around 20 years when I went through a deep time of discouragement and depression. Everything seemed hopeless and dark. There were days I just drove away from home and thought of never returning but because of my boys and my faith I always came back.
I honestly had no idea how to make it better…..
I went to a weekend women’s conference discouraged and giving God one more chance to meet me. He did and I began a personal journey of healing which eventually led to a restored marriage because I had a restored me.
As I was finishing my first calling of raising my boys to be men of God, I was reminded that God had put a call on my life to be a marriage counselor. I started that journey in 2009 and graduated in 2012 with my master’s degree in marriage and family therapy. During school, I became interested in sex therapy and continued my education by becoming a certified sex therapist.
Soon after that I started seeing individuals and couples in private practice and for intensive marriage therapy at Focus Marriage Institute. In addition to therapy, Greg and I were blessed to become part of the marriage conference speaking team at Focus in 2014. We have a great time presenting together and I often say, “Greg is the funniest person I know!” He makes every retreat we do hilarious! I hope you get to experience his humor first hand. It makes me smile just to think about all of his “dad” jokes.
In 2018, I was blessed to be able to write the Discovering Passion conference for Focus. And only to make things better, Greg and I have presented it together several times this past year! This is amazing because the first time we ever spoke about sexuality, Greg stood in the back with a red face the entire session. ☺
GREG’S STORY
(Told by Rachelle as well—to be sure it is correct. Ha!)
After many years of rural pastoring and through a series of miraculous events, God called us to be U.S. Missionaries with Convoy of Hope/Rural Compassion in 2012……
This is a ministry that empowers the rural church to get outside the four doors of their church and impact their community for Christ. Greg has raised financial support and worked diligently with many churches and rural pastors for the past 6 years. He has experienced a lot of success and loves what he does.
THE PROBLEM
For 6 years, Greg traveled mostly alone, and Rachelle worked hard to get her hours to become fully licensed as a professional counselor. This worked for a season until our son, Devon, graduated from college in 2017 and left home. Here was the picture: I was working during the week helping couples and Greg was working on the weekend helping rural churches, but we were missing each other!
THE QUESTION
Why are we doing ministry alone? Is there a way we could merge the gifts God has brought into our lives the past 9 years? How could we strengthen both rural churches and marriages?
THE SOLUTION
Out of the struggle —The fun Marriage Workshop was born. After meeting with our ministry leaders, we felt God calling us to develop a marriage conference for rural churches. This conference encompasses both callings: to strengthen marriages and to help the rural church. Now, understand, if you are in an urban area and interested in The fun Marriage Workshop coming to your area, you are not excluded!
WHERE WE ARE NOW
We have presented The fun Marriage Workshop several times since the fall of 2018 with several more scheduled this year. It has been amazing! Couples have been helped and churches have been strengthened. It’s so cool how God has brought us to this point in our lives with both training and personal struggle to walk alongside pastors, churches and couples in their endeavor to love Jesus and each other.