 By Abby Glaser Encompass Community Advocate Most people who know Encompass are familiar with the work we do with couples--that’s certainly one of our core missions! But many people don’t realize that we also work extensively with individuals, meeting them right where they are in life.
One of the programs closest to my heart is a relationship class I’ve been honored to teach at McKinley Hall’s women’s residential program for more than six years. If you’re not familiar with McKinley Hall, they’re an incredible local resource offering hope and healing to those affected by substance use disorders (SUD), empowering people to build healthy, fulfilling lives. The need is great. Across the U.S., rates of substance use disorder among women continue to rise. Women with SUD often carry an even heavier burden: they are far more likely to have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. That history of trauma can increase the risk of PTSD, which is 1.4 times more likely to co-occur with addiction. Recovery, then, is about so much more than just getting sober--it’s about untangling years of hurt and learning how to build safe, supportive, loving relationships.
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 By Dr. David Marine Mabry Executive Director of Encompass Connection Center As we step into August, we’re exploring what it means to do family life through the stages—starting today with marriage in mid-life.
Marriage in the 40–65 range brings unique joys, challenges, and adjustments. Children may be leaving the house or growing more independent. Aging parents may need increasing support. Careers evolve or plateau. Our own bodies, dreams, and identities shift. And yet… something beautiful can happen here. Theresa and I have been married since 1993. We’ve weathered a lot together—raising kids, ministry transitions, career changes, personal growth seasons. What strikes me most as we live in this “mid-life” chapter is not how much we’ve changed… but how essential it is that we keep changing. The key isn’t resisting change. It’s embracing the person your spouse is becoming, and continuing to show up as the person you’re becoming too.  By Theresa Mabry Encompass Director of Operations Some partnerships are born from a single moment. Others grow over time—formed through shared values, vision, and trust. Our relationship with Choosing Hope Adoptions is one of the latter. It's a story of convergence, collaboration, and commitment to strengthening families from the inside out.
 By Kermit Rowe Encompass Relationship Facilitator The latest statistics are sobering but point to a largely unrecognized and unaddressed problem plaguing American families for decades. Fatherless homes are a contributing factor to 63% of teen suicides, 71% of high school dropouts, 83% of children with significant behavior issues, 85% of youth in jails/detention, and 90% of homeless and runaway children.
Clearly, there is a fathering crisis in our country … and it didn’t crop up overnight. Worse yet, it is growing larger by the year. The goal of the ministry of Encompass Connection Center (and Marriage Resource Center before it, from 2004-2018) is “Family Trees Forever Changed.” That just can’t be done without critical contributions from a Dad in the home, which is why the ECC and Urban Light Ministries have been connected since our humble beginnings.  By Abby Glaser Encompass Community Advocate At our core, the mission of Encompass has always been about helping people build and sustain healthy relationships. But often the folks that come through our office need a wider range of support than we can provide on our own. We know we can’t do this work alone! For over a decade, our partnership with Citilookout has been one of the strongest examples of what happens when organizations come together with a shared commitment to helping people heal, grow, and connect.
Citilookout, a counseling center, has served countless individuals, couples, and families in our community. Their counselors bring expertise across marriage and family therapy, trauma recovery, grief work, and more. As Janna Carrier, Citilookout’s Assistant Agency Director, shared, their goal has always been to serve people regardless of their ability to pay, particularly those on the margins who might otherwise slip through the cracks. Their focus on helping people navigate trauma and build healthier futures directly aligns with our own mission of fostering stronger relationships and a healthier community.  By Dr. David Marine Mabry Encompass Executive Director When you talk with Pastor Jeremy Hudson of Fellowship Church in Springfield, one thing becomes clear: this is a church deeply committed to its community. “We exist to impact our community—and through our community, the world,” he said. “The quality of life for someone in Springfield should go up simply because they share space with us.”
That’s not just a slogan. It’s a conviction that has shaped how Fellowship approaches everything from Sunday worship to weekday outreach. And for over two decades, that conviction has included a strong and growing partnership with Encompass Connection Center. What began as an early alliance back in the Marriage Resource Center days (the name of ECC from 2004-2018) has since evolved into something deeper—something that now models what’s possible when the Church and a trusted nonprofit move in tandem. “Encompass is the phone call we make when someone in our church is struggling,” Pastor Jeremy shared. “We don’t try to reinvent the wheel. They are an extension of our pastoral care.”  By Abby Glaser Encompass Community Advocate When Leah first met Abby, the community advocate at Encompass, she was in the second year of recovery, fresh out of a relationship with her trafficker and terrified of going back. She had already taken courageous steps by entering a treatment center and joining a relationship class. That’s where her advocate first noticed the signs--signs Leah didn’t fully recognize herself.
After graduating from the program, Leah reached out for support. What followed was a transformative three-year journey—marked by setbacks, breakthroughs, and an unwavering relationship built on trust, safety, and advocacy.  Faith and Keith Bosland. By Faith Bosland Encompass Board President Looking back, there were some pretty good reasons for my husband Keith and I not to take that RINGS class.
At the time, back in 2011, our kids were 5 and 3. Life with two little kids and two full time jobs felt like rollerblading on a treadmill most days, and Sunday afternoons – when our church was inviting us to come to 3 weeks of RINGS classes – were one of the precious little bits of downtime in the chaos. Could it really be worth that sacrifice? On top of that, we felt like our marriage was doing pretty well. We’re both easygoing people and had never had a lot of conflict or arguments. We both felt like we knew how to communicate well. But we’d heard good things about the RINGS workshop – so we gave up our Sunday downtime (goodbye, naps) for three weeks and went. Fourteen years later, those two squirrelly little kids are now pretty great young adults. I can’t say I remember exact “aha moments” or statements made in those three sessions. But I can tell you that RINGS has impacted our relationship and our family greatly, and here’s why:  Dr. David and Theresa Mabry (center) with their children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. By Theresa Mabry Encompass Director of Operations David and I had been married for 13 years when we took our first relationship assessment. He was getting ready to begin work at the Marriage Resource Center—what you now know as Encompass Connection Center—and we were invited to help teach relationship classes to couples.
I remember thinking, “Well, they’ve asked the right people! We've been married long enough to teach this stuff with our eyes closed.” Boy, was I wrong.  Mabry family portrait 1976. David is bottom left corner. By Dr. David Marine Mabry Encompass Executive Director I grew up as the third of four boys in a rural, working-class family just outside a small Ohio town. To put it simply, we didn’t have much—and I don’t just mean financially. Our home was filled with stress, instability, and frequent conflict. I have few happy memories from those early years. What I do remember most is waking up to my parents arguing and navigating the constant emotional turbulence that came with it.
My mother carried deep emotional pain, and my father—quiet and passive—often disappeared into the background in the face of her outbursts. My brothers and I were largely left to figure things out on our own, often getting into trouble at home and school. We endured emotional abuse and confusion about what family was supposed to feel like. I lived with a constant sense of insecurity and instability. It felt like the ground beneath us could shift at any moment. |
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HostsDr. David Marine and Theresa Mabry are Co-Directors of Encompass since June 1, 2024. TOPICS
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Funding is provided by Clark County Job and Family Services, Charles L. Shor Foundation, Nehemiah Foundation, Springfield Foundation, Turner Foundation, and private donations and fees.
Program content is the sole responsibility of Encompass Connection Center and does not necessarily represent the views of the funders.
Encompass Connection Center services are provided to all eligible persons on a non-discriminatory basis. Encompass Connection Center complies with all applicable laws and regulations concerning discrimination does not discriminate on the basis of the potential participant's race, gender, gender orientation, age, disability or religion.
Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 37-1485217
Program content is the sole responsibility of Encompass Connection Center and does not necessarily represent the views of the funders.
Encompass Connection Center services are provided to all eligible persons on a non-discriminatory basis. Encompass Connection Center complies with all applicable laws and regulations concerning discrimination does not discriminate on the basis of the potential participant's race, gender, gender orientation, age, disability or religion.
Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 37-1485217