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in this FEBRUARY issue.... |
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As Guilford County’s only agency specifically focused on family life and parent education, the Family Life Council provides accessible, high quality, and diverse programs, resources and advocacy for today’s families, educators and community agencies. |
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HOW YOUR FAITH ORGANIZATION CAN SUPPORT MARRIAGE
Most marriage ceremonies continue to be performed in a religious setting. This suggests that newlywed couples value the involvement of their faith community. A religious organization can play an important role in helping couples understand how to withstand the pressures within their union. Here are a few suggestions for a religious organization to provide marital support.
Large Group Services/Meetings: This kind of setting allows a couple to find their place within the larger body and practice their faith among those of like beliefs. These meetings can help a couple understand how they can practice their faith and apply the principles of their faith in their own relationship and with others.
Sermons/Messages on Marriage: Inspirational or instructional messages provide a foundational format for how a couple can express their faith and how they should interact with each other based upon what they believe. Sermons/messages of this sort help a couple take what might be considered as theological and make practical application.
Promote Book Reading : Books and readings can help to provide additional instruction on how to balance marriage and other outside commitments. Book groups are a helpful way to learn about new insights and then have the opportunity to discuss these topics with others.
Marriage Seminars and Retreats: This is an excellent way to help couples focus on the importance their relationship. Being away from the day to day demands of life and its built-in distractions, allows couples time to value one another, build on what is positive and strengthen areas that need growth.
Marriage Mentoring Program: Pairing couples of different ages and levels of relationship experience is a tremendous tool for building healthy marriages. Both couples benefit from the support, information and guidance.
For more information, comments, or ideas, contact Lamonica Mitchell
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Would you believe....
- 18 different Marriage Enrichment programs and events are scheduled in the next few weeks ?
- In addition, 6 different programs for Troubled Marriages and 6 programs specifically for Parents are being offered to the public.
Is your organization planning any events that you would open to the public? Are there programs for singles, young married couples, new parents, “Empty Nest-ers”, or “Troubled Marriages” as your target audience? How about events teaching life skills in communication, finance management, mentoring, or a fun outing for the whole family?
Please let us know what you have planned.
Here is what you do. When you want to put an event on our calendar, go to www.gcmarriage.org and click on "Submit an event". Fill in the details and then look for us to help spread the word through our on-line calendar as well as this monthly E-magazine.
Partner with us in helping to spread the word about wonderful programs throughout the Triad which will help to strengthen families. |
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Did you know? Here are some Ideas, information, and some intriguing thoughts.
- The average American engagement lasts 16 months.
- During the engagement period, couples buy:
- $4 billion in furniture
- $3 billion in housewares
- $400 million in tableware
- Every year an average of 2.4 million weddings are performed in the U.S.
- Today's median age for first-time brides is 24.5 years. For grooms, it's 26.5 years.
- $22,000 is the average amount spent on a traditional American wedding.
- 67% of women continue to wear the same fragrance they wore on their wedding day.
- Among couples who choose a traditional wedding, 99 percent take a honeymoon.
- Couples spend an average of $3,700 on their honeymoon. That's three times as much as the average U.S. adult spends on a vacation.
- The length of an average honeymoon is eight days.
- 10 percent of marriages are destination weddings. The leading destinations for out-of-town weddings are: (Figures in parentheses indicate number of weddings performed annually.)
Thanks to About.com for gathering this information.
For more information or to see the complete report, visit: http://honeymoons.about.com/cs/eurogen1/a/weddingstats.htm.
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The Guilford County Marriage Resource Center
The Family Life Council created the Guilford County Marriage Resource Center in January 2004. Beginning in September, these resources became available in both Alamance and Davidson Counties – leading to a Piedmont Marriage Resource Center . This center will serve as a clearinghouse of information for professionals, lay leaders, and the general public. The Marriage Resource Center offers:
- Trainings for volunteers and professionals working to support healthy marriages. Click here to see a listing of upcoming training dates.
- A Resource Library for marriage support activities. Click here to see a listing of some of our most popular titles available for loan to any Guilford, Alamance, or Davidson County resident or organization.
- A website of marriage related information – www.gcmarriage.org. This website contains a calendar of community events focused on healthy marriages. Organizations from across Guilford County can submit their programming information to be included free of charge.
- The Community Marriage Covenant for Guilford , Davidson, and Alamance Counties. Over 90 faith organizations have signed this covenant to support healthy and strong marriages both before and after the wedding.
- A Speakers Bureau with staff and volunteers able to present on a variety of relationship oriented topics to groups of youth or adults. Popular topics include Effective Communication, Decision Making in Marriage, Keeping Romance Alive While Parenting, and How to Create a Vital Marriage Ministry.
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Call For Content
GCMRC e-Magazine is looking for well-written marriage-related articles, poems, quotes, book/movie reviews, news, event announcements, product reviews, successful marriage stories, clean humor, letters to the editor, information on marriage legislation, and other family-related content.
Click here to Submit content.
NOTE: By submitting content, you represent that you have the rights to this content and that you give GCMarriage.org and the Family Life Council the right to reprint this content on the Internet, via e-mail, and in print form.
To Submit an Event
GCMRC will help you to advertise your marriage / family related event. Visit GCMarriage.org for an online form to submit the information.
Refer It
We hope you enjoyed this issue of GCMRC e-Magazine and encourage you to forward it to others who might find this information useful.
To Subscribe Or Unsubscribe
If you want a free monthly e-mail subscription to GCMRC e-Magazine, or would like to unsubscribe, email GCMarriage.org and put "Subscribe" or "Unsubscribe" in the Subject line.
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