Why wait until Valentine’s Day to tell that special someone in your life how much they mean to you?
Saint Peter Lutheran Church is hosting a marriage enrichment seminar on the weekend. It’s meant to give couples the tools that they need to survive and thrive in a world filled with other things that constantly threaten to tear people apart.
“We were just looking at another opportunity to see how we could help families,” explained Pastor Daniel Habben about how his church likes to offer these kinds of seminars. The members of his congregation really appreciate them because you can love somebody but you don’t get a manual for having a good marriage when you tie the knot, he said.
“The benefit of it is you always know that, ‘Hey, we should really sit down and catch up as a couple and see how things are going’ and you don’t. You have to schedule time for that.”
“A big part of it is giving couples the opportunity to spend time away from the distractions from each other,” explained Randy Hunter, the Wisconsin-based minister who will be conducting the session. He said it’s absolutely vital for people to know when to turn off their cellphones and focus on their spouse.
“Study after study has shown that couples who do that — who build this discipline into their lives — just enjoy a healthier relationship.”
The main concept of his talk will be about the choices that people make about how positively or negatively they treat their significant other. Even small actions or inactions like not answering your wife’s phone call can colour the rest of the marriage.
To that end, he will lead people through a series of discussions relating to finding a common purpose and understanding and accepting the roles each person plays in marriage.
“Just acknowledging the differences that are built into us can be helpful.”
Of course, there will also be a component devoted to communication.
“We always do work on communication because we can never communicate well enough. I think it’s a cop-out when couples say they have a communication problem. I generally think that communication is the symptom.”
He has been conducting these sessions for many years across North America and abroad. One subject that past participants always ask for more of is a discussion on intimacy.
“We’re kind of limited in a room full of people just what a couple can work on together there, but I can be very frank and clear in my talk. We can have some fun with it.”
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the St. Albert Inn. For more information, please call Tammy at 780-419-3725 or visit www.saintpeterlutheran.com.
