Pleasant Valley Community Church is offering couples a unique way to connect, hosting a Bluegrass and Comedy Marriage Date Night on January 9. The evening will feature nationally recognized marriage comedian and pastor Ted Cunningham, as well as live bluegrass music from local favorites The Possum Pickers.
The event will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Pleasant Valley’s new sanctuary, which is set to open in December. Tickets are $40 per couple and can be purchased online through the church’s website. Child care for the evening is available for children ages 0-11 and is $5 per child for a max of $20 per family. Children must be registered in advance. Purchase tickets and/or register for child care here.
Brad Rhoads, Pleasant Valley’s marriage pastor and founder of Grace Marriage, emphasized the church’s commitment to supporting relationships through meaningful and enjoyable events.
The evening will open with performances by Randy Lanham and Chris Joslin of The Possum Pickers, whose engaging blend of bluegrass music is well-known in the region. Following the music, Cunningham will deliver his signature blend of comedy and practical marriage advice, which has been featured on national platforms like Focus on the Family.
Cunningham is the founding pastor of Woodland Hills Family Church in Branson, Missouri. He and his wife Amy have been married for 27 years and have two children. He erves as a lead marriage coach for the American Association of Christian Counselors and is a regular contributor to Christian Counseling Today magazine. He is a comedian on the Date Night Comedy Tour and a frequent conference speaker at churches and corporate events across the country.
“We hope people come out for a fun date night event,” Rhoads said. “We haven’t brought in a national speaker, especially somebody with Ted’s caliber, and just thought we’d see how the community responded to bringing in somebody that’s well known. And we thought it’d be fun to couple some bluegrass music with some really good comedy.”
Rhoads added, “I hope this encourages couples to get in a more consistent rhythm of doing fun things together. Life gets kind of heavy and difficult, can involve a lot of responsibilities, and oftentimes a marriage kind of gets reduced to just two people trying to get everything done. We want to provide an opportunity for a couple of break free from that and just have a really good time together.”
Rhoads noted that Pleasant Valley’s marriage ministry also offers ongoing support for couples through marriage groups and other resources.
“Pleasant Valley is a church that really values marriage,” he said. “If anybody desires to improve in their marriage in any way, Pleasant Valley is open to serve them, even if you don’t attend our church. … We have a real kind of a protect-and-rich mentality, not a ‘wait till you’re in crisis and pour a bunch of money into it and hope you can fix it’ mentality.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Pleasant Valley Community Church’s website or contact the church office.
