Marriage Super Saturday 2003 q Identify 5 unhealthy reasons people marry? q Identify 5 healthy reasons people marry? Why do people marry? Super Saturday 2003 A Christian Marriage Is… a total commitment of two people to the person of Jesus Christ and each other. It is a commitment in which there is no holding back of anything. a school, a learning and growing environment in which (if everything is as it should be) both partners can grow and develop. The relationship grows along with them. H. Norman Wright Super Saturday 2003 What Does the Catholic Church / Christian Affirm about Marriage? Believing that marriage is a covenant intended by God to be a lifelong fruitful relationship between a man and a woman, we vow to God, each other, our family, and our community to remain steadfast in unconditional love, reconciliation, and sexual love while purposefully growing in our covenant marriage relationship. Super Saturday 2003 What does your church believe about marriage? Super Saturday 2003 What does your church do to strengthen marriages? Super Saturday 2003 A Holistic Approach To Marriage Ministry Super Saturday 2003 Outreach Prevention Health Intervention Enrichment American Experience Marriage is a fundamental social institution. It is central to the nurture and raising of children. It is the “social glue” that reliably attaches fathers to children. It contributes to the physical, emotional and economic health of men, women and children, and thus to the nation as a whole. It is also one of the most highly prized of all human relationships and a central life goal of most Americans. The State of Our unions 2003 The National Marriage Project Super Saturday 2003 Did You Know About a third of all children and more than twothirds of African-American children are born out of wedlock. Since 1960, there has been an 850 percent increase in the number of cohabiting couples who live with children. Roughly a million children each year experience parental divorce and its aftermath. The State of Our unions 2003 The National Marriage Project Super Saturday 2003 Did You Know Compared to married fathers, men who are not married to their children’s mothers are significantly less likely to be consistently and positively involved with their children during their growing up years. In reality, marriage is the social glue that holds fathers to their offspring. Marriage encourages regular and routine father involvement. The State of Our unions 2003 The National Marriage Project Super Saturday 2003 Did You Know Unmarried cohabiting fathers fail to show as much warmth or put in as much time or money in the care of their biological children as do married fathers. Cohabiting men who are living with nonbiological children pose a risk of physical or sexual abuse to such children. The State of Our unions 2003 The National Marriage Project Super Saturday 2003 Consider …the new soul-mate ideal may create unrealistic expectations for intimacy that, if unfulfilled, may lead to disappointment, estrangement and even a search for a new soul mate. The State of Our unions 2003 The National Marriage Project Super Saturday 2003 The Marriage Ministry Umbrella Relationship Skill Development Marriage Enrichment and Education Marriage Strengthening and Rebuilding Divorce Recovery Ministry Premarital Counseling Marriage mentoring Children’s Ministry Prepare Inventory Paring Newlywed Couple with Mentoring Couple Retreats Referral List of Local Professional Counselors Divorce Care Video Series and Support Group Adolescents FOCCUS Inventory Outline of Mentor Qualifications Workshops and Seminars Retrouvaille Retreats KidsHope Seminars for Children Young Adults DISC Personality Inventory Clear Expectations and Definition of Mentor Relationship Enrich Inventory Marriage Support Groups and Bible Study Groups Single Parent Family Ministry Adults Series of Focused Couple Sessions Prayer Ministry REFOCCUS Inventory Sermon Series and Testimonies Follow-Up Care Resources Resources Resources Resources Resources Resources Super Saturday 2003 Relationship Skill Development Couple Closeness Communication Personality Compatibility Couple Flexibility Sexual Relationship Conflict Resolution Leisure Activities Financial Management Family and Friends Spiritual Beliefs Areas of Focus Super Saturday 2003 Relationship Skill Development I am very satisfied with how we talk to each other. Yes No We are creative in how we handle our differences. We feel very close to each other. Yes No Yes No My partner is seldom too controlling. When discussing problems, my partner understands my opinions and ideas. Yes No Yes No Super Saturday 2003 Relationship Skill Development I am completely satisfied with the amount of affection from my partner. Yes No We have a good balance of leisure time spent together and separately. Yes No My partner’s friends or family rarely interfere with our relationship. Yes No We agree on how to spend money. Yes No I am satisfied with how we express spiritual values and beliefs. Yes No Super Saturday 2003