“Everything that is said either helps or hinders, heals or scars, builds up or tears down.”

-Norman Wright

The African-American Healthy Marriage Summit

The Guilford County Marriage Resource Center is pleased to announce the 2^nd African American Healthy Marriage Summit to be held on Friday, April 7^th and Saturday, April 8^th, 2006 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 1301 Alamance Church Road, Greensboro, NC.  This exciting 2-day summit will celebrate healthy relationships by examining the strengths of black families and building skills to keep marriages healthy and families on a firm foundation.  The Friday night celebration runs from 7:00-8:30pm and is free and open to the public.  Saturday, from 8:00am-4:30pm, will involve a keynote address from Carlis Williams, Southeast Regional Administrator for the Administration for Children and Families, more than 25 workshops on marriage, relationships, and family wellness for both married couples and singles.  The day will conclude with a Renewal and Dedication Ceremony.  Register now to reserve your spot.

You don’t want to miss this exciting event in our community! 
To learn more and to register, click here.

How To: Recognize a Healthy Relationship

Life is all about relationships. These relationships include your family, friends, co-workers, classmates, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, just to name a few. Research tells us that when these relationships are healthy people are happier and less stressed. But how do you recognize a healthy relationship? The University of Northern Colorado Women’s Resource Center characterizes healthy relationships as respectful, trusting, and equal. People in healthy relationships share responsibility, communicate openly, and handle conflict effectively. Click on this link, http://www.unco.edu/asap/healthy.html, to learn more about healthy relationships and test the health of your relationships. Click here for more information about Family Life Council programs that will enhance and enrich your relationships.

Eighteenth-century author Leo Tolstoy observed, "What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility."

Benefits of marriage preparation

It is estimated that 90% of people in the United States will marry at some point in their lives. With nearly half of these first marriages ending in divorce, the importance of marriage preparation becomes evident. Research has shown that premarital education can be beneficial for couples. Many issues arise in the first five years of marriage that cause conflict including financial issues, role expectations and ineffective communication. Marriage preparation allows couples to discuss these types of issues that could cause conflict in the relationship, as well as enhance communication and problem-solving skills. The Family Life Council's Guilford County Marriage Resource Center offers marriage preparation classes and has marriage resources available through the Marriage Resource Library. Here are details about two Marriage Preparation Programs offered by Family Life Council:

• PREPARE:
  Engaged and recently married couples are encouraged to take the time to focus on their relationship through this one-on-one couple mentoring program. Couples will take the Prepare Inventory to assess the areas in which their relationship needs to grow and the strengths that will enable them to progress in a healthy relationship. Sessions will focus on topics such as communication skills, resolving conflict, developing a budget, and developing personal, couple and family goals. Cost is $80 per couple; for more information contact Rebecca Starnes.
  
• Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts:
  Anyone who is engaged to be married or recently married will benefit from taking time to prepare for a strong, stable, satisfying marriage. While a lot of energy goes into planning the perfect wedding day, this program helps couples prepare for married life after the wedding. Couple and group discussions will focus on marriage myths, gender differences, and fighting a good fight. Come learn how to strengthen your relationship while you spend time with other couples that are also making the transition to marriage. For more information contact Rebecca Starnes.

The Association for Marriage and Family Ministries will present their East Coast Conference in Charlotte, NC, on April 19-21, 2006.  This three-day event is an opportunity for clergy and marriage ministry leaders and volunteers to gain new skills, information, and inspiration that will have a long-lasting impact on their marriage and family ministries.