Preparing for Marriage
Creative resources for group leaders. A training manual produced by Marriage
Care.
PRESENTATION
Produced in 1998 in response to a demand for a definitive marriage preparation
manual, it looks very professional and attractive - confidence-inspiring.
COST
Manual £35.00
Videos £39.99
Everything needed to run a course is included. handouts for the couple
are photocopiable. The three half-hour videos, 'Marriage - What it takes',
complement the course and add an extra dimension.
CONTENT
The course is based around three 'modules': Communication; Conflict management;
and Commitment. Under each heading there is a variety of presentations,
activities, supporting activities and overhead transparencies, with step-by-step
instructions for setting up, processing or discussion.
There is enough material for a systematic six-week course but it would
be possible to pick and choose from the topics and activities and design
something less comprehensive. This would be necessary wherever parish
teams were wanting to get started in a small way. Times are given for
each element, which would aid selection.
The activities are varied and offer a good mix of couple/group discussion.
There are plenty of help and advice sheets on the implementation of the
course and 'fact and information' boxes for professional underpinning.
Bibliographical references are impressive.
Outside its remit are guidelines for setting up and training the team
and the general management of the course. Churches with no experience
of marriage preparation would need additional help in these areas.
APPROACH
Intended for groups of couples attending together, the approach is
light in touch, non-directive and affirmative. It does not preach and so could
be used in a secular setting. The activities are challenging enough for
those embarking upon a further marriage and look refreshingly different
from a lot of marriage preparation material in circulation. Thoughtful couples
would get a lot out of it; others might find it too demanding.
OVERALL VERDICT
This is a substantial course which is comprehensive in its scope and which
would be an excellent preparation for the couples. An enthusiastic marriage
preparation team would find plenty here to get their teeth into.
Please note that although we have endeavoured to check the facts,
this review reflects personal opinion and is not an official statement from
Churches Together for Families. All reviews of resources are the personal views
of the group that prepared the material for this web site.
© Churches Together for Families, 2001
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