About Us -Who Are We?

Donn and Joy Moehlenpah are founders of a Christian Ministry called Celebrating Marriage for the purpose of ministering to couples before and after they take their wedding vows.  They are marriage coaches who love to work with couples as they prepare to spend their lives together. They also like to come along side couples who have been married for awhile but are experiencing less than God’s best for their marriage and need some encouragement.

The Moehlenpahs named their ministry Celebrating Marriage because it expresses what they believe God intended marriage should be in all areas – A CELEBRATION.  Their inspiration for this goal is from the scripture found in Proverbs 5:18  “…..to rejoice with the wife of thy youth…..”  Over forty years of marriage to each other has taught Donn and Joy that the reality of life is a challenge to reflect this celebration.  However, they believe there are safeguards that can be practiced and skills that can be learned to keep a couple close to each other and have joy in their marriage no matter what life brings to them.

Part of the celebration of marriage for Donn and Joy was to welcome five children and fifteen grandchildren into their family. Their church family life has been paramount in their lives.  They have discovered through ministry and practical experience that the Bible, the word of God, holds the keys to all areas of marital satisfaction. Their careers have led them in various areas of service.  Donn has served as an officer in the United States Air Force, as an executive in several businesses, an ordained pastor, elder, and chaplain. He holds a B.S. degree in Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and a B.A. in Apostolic Studies from Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. Joy has been a partner with Donn in ministry and business, a homemaker, wife, and mother. She holds a B.A. degree in Child Study from Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri, Bible college credits and is a certified teacher and administrator. Both have attended numerous seminars and received specialized training in the area of marriage and in the use of assessment tools.  They are both members of the American Association of Christian Counselors.  Donn is an ordained minister with the Global Network of Christian Ministries.

The Moehlenpah’s focus on the specialized ministry to couples began when they were asked to teach a Sunday school class at their church in St. Louis, Missouri in 1990. This class was a group of newly married couples.

A move to Nashville, Tennessee in 1992 further solidified the focus in ministry to couples in the area of marriage when Donn and Joy were asked to develop a pre-marriage preparation plan for Christ Church in Nashville, Tennessee where they had come to be involved. During this time, they worked with scores of couples before their marriages, teaching them in class settings and coaching them as individual couples.  They used assessment tools such as the Family History Analysis, the Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis and Prepare/Enrich.  The results of these assessments were springboards for discussion with the couples regarding problem areas revealed in their relationship.  These discussions allowed them to deal with areas of conflict before the marriage.  About ten percent of the couples coached broke off their relationship and concluded they were not meant for each other.

Married couples’ workshops and retreats have been other venues for the Moehlenpahs to share their knowledge and experience.  They like to emphasize conflict resolution through sharpening communication skills, how to deal with needs and expectations, and how to develop spiritual intimacy with your spouse as topics at these events.

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