“Do you need fireworks in your life, and sparks in your relationships?” asked Becky Tirabassi, Newport Beach resident and co-pastor of Viewpoint Church. “If you are single or dating or wish you were dating, this relationship series is for you.”
“There are so many singles on the Peninsula and in Newport Beach, and Roger has had such great success with his premarital class at Rockharbor, that we decided to organize this event for our church,” she continued. “It’ll be like group counseling where Roger encourages and explains how singles can learn great skills for enjoying healthy relationships. These skills can actually help with everyone, not only the opposite sex. This doesn’t mean people have to be seriously dating or engaged; it’s more like the class before the class for those.”
Roger and Becky Tirabassi are co-pastors of Viewpoint Church, Newport’s newest church, which launched this past Easter. The church is unique in many ways. It is led by a husband/wife teaching team, it is held at 5 p.m. on Sunday afternoons, and it meets in the old City Council Chambers on the Peninsula.
Roger was a pastoral counselor in Newport for 20 years and worked as the Marriage Enrichment pastor at Rockharbor for 10 years. Rockharbor commissioned Viewpoint last spring and Roger continues to run the premarital and marriage programs at Rockharbor. Roger has a Doctorate of Ministry, Masters in Pastoral Counseling and Educational counseling.
“With so many singles in the area, it seemed important to assist them in developing the skills needed for sustaining healthy relationships,” Roger said. “The leadership of Viewpoint wanted to plan something that would meet singles’ needs. The Relationship 101 series is not a dating seminar, but it is a series designed to help singles (dating or not), ages 18 to 35, learn the knowledge, skills and decisions needed to have healthy relationships.”
Some of the topics for the four-week series include: Your Personality Factor – what you need to know to navigate your own personality; Intimacy and Sexual Decisions – dealing with the difficult issues; Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships – what the factors are; Resolving Conflicts – how to deal with conflict in a healthy way; and Dealing With The Emotions That Can Wreck Your Relationships – how to navigate the fight, flight or freeze factor.
“Viewpoint Church is filling a unique niche on Balboa Peninsula,” Becky said. “God is bringing families, singles, people in recovery and neighbors of all ages,” she continued. “Many are excited that they can walk, bike or skateboard to church. And they love the afternoon time for church; surfers come right off the beach.”
Becky is the author of 15 books. For 25 years she traveled and spoke to both adults and students. She explained that her struggles with alcohol as a teenager and college student is one of the reasons Viewpoint is a recovery-sensitive church.
The Relationship 101 Series will run July 10, 17, 24, and 31, from 7 to -8:30 p.m. at Old City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.
Viewpoint will also host their first Vacation Bible School at Old City Hall. It is for ages 5-12 and will run Tuesday, July 15 through Friday, July 18, from 9 a.m. to noon.
For further information, go to viewpointchurch.org.
Cindy can be reached at [email protected].
