Marriage Courses
One way to support marriages is to run courses for groups of couples (whether from the church or not) – offering them insights, encouraging them to reflect on aspects of their relationship and to talk with their partner about these, and providing them with practical tools to help their marriage grow.
- Holy Trinity Brompton have published The Marriage Course, subtitled ‘How to build a healthy marriage that lasts a lifetime’, giving encouragement and practical tools to help married couples of any age strengthen and deepen their relationship.
Designed and run since 1996 by Nicky and Sila Lee, the course consists of eight sessions, during which couples talk about important issues that too easily get lost in the rush of daily life. Each session starts with a candlelit meal. There is then a talk, followed by an opportunity for each couple to discuss the topic on their own. There is no group discussion and no requirement for participants to disclose anything about their relationship to anyone else. 
Topics covered include:
- recognising each other’s needs
- learning to communicate effectively
- resolving conflict
- healing past hurts
- knowing how to make each other feel loved
- relating to parents and in-laws
- good sex
- making time for each other and having fun together
The course is available as a set of videos or DVDs, showing the sessions presented by Nicky and Sila, and can be run by any married couple in their home, church or community. The video or DVD sets (£50) are accompanied by a course manual with notes and worksheets for couples (£2) and by a leaders’ guide (£2). Alternatively, the sessions are available individually on cassette (£3) or video (£13.95); and speakers’ notes may be purchased on CD-Rom (£7.99). Other supporting resources are also available.
www.themarriagecourse.org/
Alpha Publications 0845 758 1278
email:alpha@stl.org
Meanwhile, the Lees have also distilled much of their teaching into their book titled The Marriage Book (327pages, HTB Publications 2000, £5.99). This could be a good book to give to couples, whether married or preparing for marriage.
You may also find that the course provides an easy opportunity for encouraging into church people who would not normally go on a Christian course. Its credibility is backed by its association with the widely known Alpha course.
- The Marriage Resource videos, Time for Each Other, described in the section on Marriage Preparation, are designed also for enhancing marriages, and may be used by a couple on their own or in a church’s marriage enrichment course. They are suitable for all couples, whether Christian or not.
The videos and two workbooks cost £25. A church pack costing £35 includes:
- the two videos
- six workbooks
- leader’s notes
- a spiritual foundations sheet
- a personal inventory sheet
- an assessment sheet for couples to analyse the impact of their marriage on their children, their ministry and their use of time
- an assessment sheet for older couple
- a pack of ten photocopiable worksheets
- ten publicity leaflets.
Further workbooks cost £2.50 each.
Available from: www.2-in-2-1.co.uk/mr/mrresource.html
- The Family Caring Trust have produced a course for small groups of couples, whether married or preparing for marriage,
which takes a self-help approach similar to their parenting courses (see Parenting section )
Couple Alive: Six sessions for couples who are either engaged, cohabiting, recently married or who have been together for as many as forty years. These help couples renew their love, commitment and understanding for one another, and introduce them to a ‘Listen and Check’ method, which is reported to have dramatically reduced rates of separation, divorce and domestic violence among couples in Europe and the United States.
The kit includes a video, two leader’s guides and one participant’s handbook for £51.77. Further copies of the handbook, with the same name, cost £6.50– and may also be bought as a separate resource.
Tel 028 3026 4174
Email: office@familycaring.co.uk
www.familycaring.co.uk
- Care for the Family have produced a number of resources that may be used for courses or on evenings for couples.
These include:
- Connect2: Five sessions to support and encourage couples in the early stages of their marriage, titled: Love for a lifetime; Communication and differences; Resolving conflict; Great expectations; Intimacy, romance and sex. They use presentations, simple exercises and group discussion. (Presenters’ manual, handouts, powerpoint and OHP presentations, £29.99.)
- Marriage Matters: Video of Rob and Dianne Parsons talking about communication, time pressure, resolving disagreements, sex in marriage, expectations and realities, and lessons from hard times. (£14.99)
- The Sixty Minute Marriage: A video seminar featuring Rob Parsons, packed with punchy, practical advice and entertaining, real-life examples (£12.99). Also available as an audio cassette and a book (each £6.99).
- Maintaining a Healthy Marriage: An audio cassette of an event addressed by Rob Parsons, with humour and realism (£6.99).
- The 21st Century Marriage: A new DVD resource plus workbook by Rob Parsons, for those already married. It covers topics such as finance, fighting and affairs. It costs £19.98. www.careforthefamily.org.uk/resources/PRODUCT.ASP?PRODUCTID=1141
Tel 029 2081 0800 www.care-for-the-family.org.uk
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