MARRIAGE
Ministry

Letter from Jim & Katrina:

Welcome to Northside Marriage Ministry!

We are both very excited about this ministry and want to provide an opportunity for all couples to connect and build a God-centered marriage. (Psalm 127:1) As of September 2025, we have been married for 34 years and have 3 adult children. Both of us were born and raised in the Willamette Valley and raised our children in the Albany area. We have been a part of a Church since before we were married and know that if God is not #1 in each of our lives, then the chances for us to be successful as a couple will be very difficult. Even with that, at times our marriage has been hard and has not always been easy for us, we have been through our struggles with each other and with things that we each brought into our marriage from our childhood. With that being said, we have both grown and worked through those things to enjoy our marriage and enjoy being each other’s best friend!

We are both very passionate about sharing the failures and successes that we have had in our marriage to help others learn and grow based on some of those experiences. (Proverbs 27:17) It is our belief that there is no perfect marriage and marriage is hard. Sometimes it is hard to talk about the hard stuff, but that is where we need to step up and help each other because we all have to deal with the hard stuff. If you don’t put the time and effort into it, the difficulties that we all experience will eat away at one of the most important relationships that God has designed for all of us. One of our goals is to create a team of people that can come alongside others to help others in their marriages and build relationships that will strengthen our marriages and relationship with God. We can all learn that when we run into problems in our marriage, it should not be you against your spouse, but it should be you and your spouse against that
problem! Knowing that is one thing, but practicing that is the tough part.

We both believe that having support from other like-minded people is extremely important to the success of our marriage and the success of all marriages. (Philippians 2:2) Both of us want to create a Marriage Ministry that supports the creation of a marriage (Pre & Post Marital Classes), provide opportunities for all married couples to continue to grow and build a stronger marriage (Marriage Enrichment), and provide a solution that can help and encourage couples who may be going through struggles within their marriage (Marriage Mentorship). (Mark 10:9)

If there is anything that we can do or help to support your marriage, please let us know!

God Bless,
Jim & Katrina Atkins
Marriage Ministry Directors