Phil and Mary got off to a rough start, as they were pretty young when they married.  God had a great plan for them, however, and preserved them and their marriage for seven years until they both came to know Christ in 1968.  It was after meeting Christ they realized just how many issues they needed to work through.  During one especially difficult time, they realized God had a better plan for their life than simply existing.  It became their quest to discover and follow "His" plan for making their life and marriage a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church.  One by one, they worked through issue after issue and now have a passion to share what they have learned, and continue to learn, with those God brings their way. Their long tradition of a "date" every Friday night (unless of course, they are sharing their lives in a Retreat or Conference) has become somewhat of a trademark. They feel this is one of the keys to keeping your Marriage fresh and exciting.

With well over 100 combined years of Marriage and 75 combined years of ministry, God has uniquely equipped them for their current ministry.  In 1987, confident that there must be more to life than "doing the Christian life," Phil and Mary began Safe Place Ministries, Inc.  The years following have been the most exciting of their lives.  They both have a passion to share the abundant life of Christ as described in John 10:10, "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have (and) enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)." (Amp Bible)

Taking advantage of every opportunity to share this abundant life, either in conferences or the Kairos Two-Day experience, Phil and Mary look forward to waking every morning with fresh opportunities to share their passion.