The Alpha Marriage Course
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1. The Alpha Marriage Course
We would like to tell you about the national Alpha Marriage Course here at Oasis.
The Marriage Course is a seven-session course set in a fantastic atmosphere. You will be served with a candlelit meal and/or coffee, tea and dessert at a romantic table for two while listening to practical talks that are informative and fun, either given live or played on DVD. The talks are interspersed with filmed clips of couples talking about their experiences of marriage and street interviews from around the world.
The course provides couples with the practical tools to strengthen their relationship and it gives them the time and space to discuss any difficult issues. The aim is to help couples break bad habits and create good ones to enable the marriage to grow.
The course is open to any couple in a permanent relationship. It doesn't matter how long they have been together. It benefits couples whose relationship is already strong. It also helps couples who are going through difficulties. Some couples who are separated or divorced have used the course as a way of trying to get back together.
While the course is based on Christian principles it is designed for couples with or without a church background. Many couples from outside the church have enjoyed and benefitted from the course.
2. How the sessions run.
Each evening begins with a meal which is provided for you at your own table. This is followed by a talk or video, broken at intervals by opportunities for discussion between husband and wife or partners.
There are no group exercises. All the discussions take place between the couple themselves.
Each person has a work book which covers the main teaching from the course and includes space for making notes etc.
A course book is also available which covers the content of the course in book format.
3. How the course came about.
The Marriage Course was developed by Nicky and Sila Lee, co-authors of The Marriage Book and The Parenting Book. They have been married for over thirty years, have four children and are on the staff at Holy Trinity Brompton - the London church that started the Alpha course. They started The Marriage Preparation Course in 1985 and The Marriage Course in 1996, and the courses continue to spread with thousands of courses now running around the world.
They have spoken to thousands on the subject of marriage and are the co-authors of The Marriage Book which has sold over 52,000 copies since it was published in 2000. They run The Marriage Course three times a year at Holy Trinity Brompton with around 100 couples on each course.
4. What does the course cover?
Over seven sessions of the course you will discover practical tools to help you:
· understand each other’s needs
· communicate more effectively
· grow closer through resolving conflict
· heal the ways you’ve hurt each other
· recognise how your upbringing affects your relationship
· improve relationships with parents and In-laws
· develop greater sexual intimacy
· discover each other’s love languages and much, much more!
5. Why do the course?
Why do the course? Regular check-ups help a car run smoothly and reduce the risk of breakdown. The best sports professionals spend hours being coached and perfecting their technique. The greatest achievements in life take practice, training and dedication.
It is the same with marriage. A strong, loving and lifelong relationship doesn't happen by chance. It takes effort and dedication to keep the fun and romance alive. We can all learn how to make even the happiest marriage better.
6. What people have said.
'We nearly didn't come... this year has been extremely hard... we came to a brick wall and didn't know how to get through it. It has totally changed things around. We are going to get our marriage blessed next and have a fresh start.''It was a fantastic atmosphere. Although we were amongst all these people I felt we were on a tropical island just the two of us. It was a great feeling just to spend time together.'
It is such a fantastic format. It gave us the platform to build and strengthen our marriage. We didn’t feel like we were doing a course – it just felt like having a great evening together. We loved it and are recommending it to our friends.
For more information, contact the Church Office by phone or email. |
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