old couple holding hands

A Beautiful Story of Lasting Love

Ray Williams Updated on Flourishing Families

Every year leading up to Valentine’s Day, I remember my friend and fellow pastor, Mel Amrine. He had a deep love for Christ, a commitment to pray for revival and the advancement of Christ’s kingdom, and a passionate vision to see the Church display the beauty of Christ through our unity. After serving 40 years of pastoring churches in multiple states, he returned to Arkansas to start Grace Gospel Church in the 90’s.

Mel and I connected through our common vision to see pastors praying together. He was a part of the original team of pastors for the first Arkansas Prayer Summit in 1998 and served on the Nehemiah Network Servant Leadership Team (now CityChurch Network of Arkansas) for many years. Highly respected as a spiritual father to younger pastors in our community, his deep voice and joy-filled prayers were an inspiration at many Prayer Summits before he went into the presence of our Lord in March of 2020.

Ironically, what prompts memories of Mel on Valentine’s Day is something that didn’t happen on Valentine’s Day. It happened the day before Mother’s Day in 2014 and made national news. 

Watch this inspiring story covered by CBS Evening News:

Mel and Doris Amrine’s story is a beautiful picture of lasting love, and it’s fitting that the theme of National Marriage Week this year is “Pursuing a Lasting Love.” National Marriage Week is an opportunity to celebrate the value of marriage. Marriage is good for couples, for children, and for communities. It is a great reminder to invest in your relationship. Whether newlyweds or celebrating decades together, there’s always room to grow and strengthen your bond as husband and wife.

Sadly, despite the overwhelming evidence of the value of marriage, Arkansas is facing a marriage crisis. Along with a divorce rate that was the highest in the nation in 2022 (60% higher than the national average), we are also facing a steep decline in the number of marriages in the last ten years.

This year, as we celebrate National Marriage Week and remember the lasting love of couples like Mel and Doris, we invite couples to remember the value of marriage and pursue a lasting love by joining the Arkansas Marriage Challenge during National Marriage Week (February 7-14, 2025).

Join the Arkansas Marriage Challenge today!
Ray Williams
Ray Williams has served as the Founder and President of CityChurch Network since its beginning in 1999. Previously, he served in multiple pastor roles at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock for 38 years. He and his wife Carolyn love to attend movies and travel together. They have two daughters and seven grandchildren who know him as “Papa Ray.” He graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in 1977 and earned an M.A. in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from UA Little Rock in 1985. He is pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry through the Antioch School for Church Planting and Leadership Development. His training as an Army Airborne Ranger and active-duty service as an Infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1977 to 1981 earned him the nickname “Ranger Ray” with some of his long-term friends.