wfn.org | Marriage course launched to churches across the UK for St

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Valentine's Day

ACNS 2870 - ENGLAND - 12 February 2002

Marriage course launched to churches across the UK for St Valentine's Day

A new course to help married couples strengthen their relationships is to be
launched on St. Valentine's Day by Alpha International, the charity
responsible for the Alpha course.

The seven-session course has been pioneered at Holy Trinity Brompton,
London, where the Alpha course began, and has already been completed by more
than 600 couples.

Now a video set has been produced to make it possible for other churches
across the UK to run the course themselves. The videos are presented by
Nicky and Sila Lee, authors of The Marriage Book, which was published in
2000 and has already sold more than 20,000 copies.

The course involves a candlelit dinner, a talk and an opportunity for each
couple to discuss a wide variety of issues relating to married life. It is
designed for non-churchgoers as well as churchgoing couples.

Topics covered by the course include Building Strong Foundations, The Art of
Communication, Resolving Conflict, The Power of Forgiveness, Parents and
In-Laws, Good Sex, and Love in Action. The course is intended for happily
married couples as well as those experiencing difficulties. Leaders' Guides
and Guest Manuals are also available.

Official figures now predict that more than half of all marriages in the
United Kingdom today will end in divorce.

Nicky and Sila Lee have been married for 25 years and have four children.
They have been running The Marriage Course at Holy Trinity for the last five
years.

Nicky Lee, who is ordained and on the staff of Holy Trinity Brompton, said,
"The pressure on marriages today is greater than it has ever been and our
aim is to provide a resource which will help churches set up a Marriage
Course of their own."

One couple who attended The Marriage Course were Jim and Lisa Sheffield. Jim
said, "We were like two people living in the same house leading two separate
lives. The Marriage Course helped us to learn the tools of communicating. We
were able to break through that surface level of communication and get back
that intimacy and closeness that makes marriage so wonderful."

Lisa said, "The course caused a drastic turnaround in our marriage. We are
so much happier now."

A conference to help churches who want to start a Marriage Course is to be
held at Holy Trinity Brompton on Friday, March 8.

Sila Lee said, "The Marriage Course is very practical. We hope it will give
each couple the tools they need to build a healthy marriage that lasts a
lifetime. One day we hope there will be a Marriage Course within easy reach
of any couple wanting to do one."

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Notes for Editors
The Alpha Course
Devised in the UK, the Alpha Course is supported by the Archbishops of
Canterbury and York and by leaders of all the main denominations. The course
is now running in almost 20,000 churches in 130 countries around the world.

'Alpha' is now running in 130 of the 160 prisons in the UK, and in many of
the country's universities. Alpha materials are now available in 42
different languages including Shona, French, Croatian, Chinese and Russian.

A MORI poll conducted in September 2001 revealed that nearly four million
adults in the UK have either done the Alpha course themselves or know
someone who has.

'The Marriage Course' is a ministry of Alpha International, a registered
charity (no. 1086179) and a private company limited by guarantee and
registered in England and Wales (no. 4157379). The Registered office is at
61 Brook Street, London W1K 4BL.

Alpha International is a registered charity (no 1086179) and a private
company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales.

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