Cary Humphrey's parents are divorced. His dad was the "angry man father," Humphrey said, and was not always the best role model for how to be a husband.

Now Humphrey is in his own marriage. He wants it to be successful, and he's taking steps to ensure it will be.

Humphrey, a member of the Church in the Pines in West Wareham, is helping to organize Wareham's first ever Art of Marriage conference, to be held in the Wareham High School auditorium on Friday, October 19, and Saturday, October 20.

"I come from a divorced family. My wife comes from a divorced family," Humphrey explained. "We want to make sure we have a foundation not only for us, but for our children."

Humphrey and his wife, Michelle Humphrey, first started going to a marriage conference called a "Weekend to Remember" approximately six years back.

The conference is coordinated by FamilyLife, a Christian organization that holds pre-marriage and marriage conferences nationwide. The weekend features speakers and practical tools for married couples.

The Church in the Pines has raised money yearly to help couples who could not otherwise afford the trip attend. FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember usually costs attendees $150, plus the cost of the hotel, which can be up to $200.

Last year, realizing the weekend can be cost-prohibitive for many, Humphrey and others thought: Why not start a smaller, "Art of Marriage" conference in Wareham? The "Art of Marriage" is also a program of FamilyLife.

"Whether your marriage is six weeks or 60 years old, whether you have a solid marriage or you have struggled, we're really called to constantly improve our marriages," Humphrey said.

Humphrey is part of a 10-member committee, made up of members from various Wareham churches, which is coordinating the Art of Marriage conference.

Instead of speakers, conference attendees will watch videos that feature the stories of couples sharing a broad range of experiences.

"It's not like you're in high school and they're putting on videos," said Humphrey. "When I watched them, my emotions went from laughing and happy, to becoming in tears just from listening to these stories and [thinking about] how they apply to you."

The conference will be split into sessions. A workbook will be provided for attendees to work through. Each session will have a leader who will introduce and wrap up the session.

Humphrey said that the conference is for anybody in Wareham, not just church members.

"We as a church want to go outside our church, within our town of Wareham, and help people who are in need," said he added. "We feel like we can make a difference."

The cost of the conference is $40 per couple before the end of the day on October 8, and $50 thereafter. Saturday lunch and a workbook is included. The fee helps to offset the cost of the workbook.

To register for the conference online, visit https://churchinthepines.webconnex.com/art_of_marriage. Online payments must be made by credit card.

For more information, or to make a payment by check, call Cary Humphrey at 508-295-3021, or e-mail caryh@embracehomeloans.com.

Visit the conference's Facebook event page by clicking here, or check out the conference's general Facebook page here.