We have been greatly blessed to celebrate 40 years of marriage this year and have had the joy of raising 4 children; Dan, Troy, Beth, and David who are now all married and raising their own families. 

          Since 1991 we have made our home in the greater Philadelphia area. We originally met in Houston, TX after graduating college where Sharon was a teacher and Bill was an engineer. Our early call to ministry was the result of a gracious couple from our church that mentored us and prepared us for marriage. We learned about God’s plan for marriage and were equipped with tools to help us in our relationship. After we were settled into married life we wanted to help others. The Lord first started to use us in the way we had been helped, to mentor other couples, and help them prepare for marriage. Along the way we attended a FamilyLife Weekend to Remember marriage conference and immediately saw this was a ministry that provided practical Biblical help and hope to couples and was aligned with the desire the Lord had placed in our hearts, to help couples have godly marriages and families. The Lord clearly called both of us to leave what we were doing and to go and be a part of what He was doing for eternal purposes and for His glory.

          We now represent the ministry of FamilyLife in PA, NJ, DE, ME, and NH by connecting with churches, businesses, military, local volunteer teams and couples for building godly marriages and families. We help equip others through the ministry of FamilyLife, such as by attending a Weekend to Remember, helping churches develop sustainable marriage ministry, helping business invest in their employees and spouses and mentoring couples to understand God's plans for putting Christ at the center of their lives and marriages. At the heart of our ministry with FamilyLife is to make disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). We do this through the power of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel and help couples live out their faith in their marriage at home and their corner of the world.

          Marriage and family is God’s design and is found throughout the Bible from the beginning in Genesis through Revelation. In today’s broken world many have questions about marriage and family or have experienced brokenness from trying to do things their way. As couples seek help to make these most important relationships work it is a natural opportunity to share God’s plan for marriage and the Gospel. We are honored to serve with FamilyLife and to go where He is at work in couples hearts to help couples move from isolation to oneness to impact, by them in turn helping others.

          The ministry of FamilyLife started by equipping couples in ministry. This remains one of our primary focus to minister to those in ministry. A  local pastor recently shared this with us after one of our marriage weekends with them. "Thank you for your investment into our marriage. We spend a lot of time pouring into others, it is nice to be poured into from others. God has blessed us with a great marriage, but we want to continue to move toward oneness and not drift into isolation. Ministry can be hard and you can feel alone so this is so helpful to keep us moving in the right direction. May God bless you for your investment in us. If God is willing to use us to help others in their marriage then it is an extension of your investment in us. Only eternity will reveal how many lives are impacted by our acts of generosity. Thank you for loving Jesus enough to invest in us."

          Cru has no central funds from which to pay salaries so as Missionaries with FamilyLife and Cru we raise our own support to cover all of our expenses (living, taxes, healthcare, ministry, ...). We also raise support to help fund couples to attend the marriage events we host in different areas. Usually, these are to a FamilyLife Weekend to Remember which are designed to share God's blueprints for marriage, including the Gospel. We find that most couples enter into marriage with little or no preparation particularly as it relates to God's plan for marriage. We also see the effects that our culture has on marriage; busyness of work and raising a family, financial pressures and many others that cause couples to drift apart into isolation. These marriage events are Biblical, Practical and can be Transformational for couples to bring about reconciliation and oneness and to live out the Gospel to a world around them. We would be honored if you would consider partnering with us in this ministry or if you would like to give to help other couples attend these life-changing marriage getaways. 

Yours in Christ for godly marriages and families,

Bill & Sharon
bstevens@familylife.com | 610.655.7642