MISSION: To educate and equip couples in Central California with healthy relationship skills that help prevent domestic violence and create emotionally healthy homes for children.

VISION: A community of Healthy Marriages. Happy Kids. Strong Families.

SCOPE: Our coalition reaches out to individuals and couples in the Fresno/Madera County area and beyond.

GOAL: Our goal is to impart practical relationship skills to engaged and married couples, single parents and their children.

HISTORY: In July, 2004, Ron & Joan founded Marriage Mentoring Ministries, Inc., (MMMI) in an effort to help improve the quality of marriages and families in Central California. MMMI works primarily with churches and has seen more than 240 couples trained to mentor other couples from 43 different churches. In 2006 the McLains founded the Healthy Marriage Coalition in order to provide marriage education classes to churches and the general public. They have been in the ministry since 1974 and have served with Campus Crusade for Christ, two local churches and Link Care Center in Fresno, California as Director of Pastoral Care. The McLains have three grown children, three grandsons and three granddaughters. They have a daughter, Michelle, and a son, Alex, waiting for them in heaven. In 2014, Ron authored the #1 best-selling book on Amazon in the counseling category, “The Resurrection Marriage: Breathe New Life Into Your Relationship.” In 2015, after many years of volunteer involvement with teaching marriage classes with the Healthy Marriage Coalition, Dave & Cheryl Belden joined the staff in the role of Director of  Marriage Education. In 2019, they assumed the leadership role of Executive Directors, giving overall leadership to the Healthy Marriage Coalition.  They have two married children and six grandchildren.

Dave & Cheryl Belden, Executive Directors

Belden’s email: belden4marriage@gmail.com 

Ron McLain, Community Counseling Services

 Ron’s email: fresnomarriage@gmail.com

Joan McLain, Administrator

 Joan’s email: joanmclain@gmail.com

For more information:

David & Cheryl Belden:

Phone: 559-367-1228 David;  559-974-8924 Cheryl
E-mail: belden4marriage@gmail.com

Donations (made payable to Fresno County Healthy Marriage Coalition (FCHMC) may be mailed to:

FCHMC
P. O. Box 25221
Fresno, CA 93729

• “This class saved our marriage! Before this class my wife and I couldn’t stop fighting. Skills gave us a “fight-free” zone.”
• “There was a change in our relationship before we left the first class. This experience was more than I expected. Thanks!”
• “This class has opened my eyes to how little time I spend trying to understand my partner. I never realized that the best way to be heard is to shut up and listen.”
• “It helped me to be a better listener. Usually I’d be thinking about what I was going to say next instead of listening.”
• “It has been able to lead my wife and I into some really deep and meaningful conversations.”
• “It helped me to understand what empathy was and actually show it to my wife. I also feel like I am being listened to now.”
• “I learned skills to be able to communicate in a structured way with not only my spouse, but my children, parents, friends and employees.”
• “We communicate while staying calm and avoid trigger words making the conversation more productive.”
• “We were able to talk without yelling. I became way less defensive in discussions.”
• “My husband and I have a great marriage – or so we thought. This class helped us address issues that we were avoiding. This class gave us the skills we needed to discuss issues skillfully and emotionally without being emotional.”
• “It has helped my wife and I communicate about subjects we both felt uncomfortable talking about. It also helped us to speak to our adult children to open communication which had been very difficult to do without getting angry or defensive.”
• “Gave us skills to discuss issues without getting out of control or upset.”
• “It opened some doors that we had closed and we were unaware of what we were missing out on.”
• “I feel this class helped my husband and I laugh again. We were able to lower our tones and hear what we were saying.”
• “We can now discuss some issues where we would normally just walk away from them at home.”
• “This class helped us to be able to work out big issues in our marriage while avoiding all the negative aspects that used to dominate our arguments.”
• “Taking this class has opened my eyes to all of the things my relationship was missing. These skills bring back the youth to our relationship. I’d take this class again!!!”
• “We used our skills a lot while driving in the car together. Everything about the class was great. We loved it and want to take it again. Thanks for all the help!”
• “I always thought we had a strong marriage, but after taking this course we reached a deeper and more meaningful level.”
• “The skills worked far superior to how I thought they would have.”
• “This class helped me safely travel on the uneven terrain of relationships.”