Dionna@nationalmarriageweekusa.org
Resources for Engaged or Dating Couples
A virtues-based model of marriage renewal and preparation that integrates modern principles of psychology to help couples facilitate an authentic dialogue about their relationship. Witness to Love helps mentor couples guide and encourage engaged couples to integrate and connect them with their church, while reaping fruits of renewal and growth within their own marriage.
Whether you are looking to help others or want the resources to help your own marriage, PREPARE/ENRICH has an online diagnostic "Couple Checkup," as well as an entertaining DVD course with workbook and leader's guide called "Prepare to Last" for the "nearlywed" or newlywed. They also provide mentor training and curricula for youth. .
An initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with many resources for married couples and those engaged.
Agapè Catholic Marriage Preparation
Invites couples to a deeper relationship with each other and with Christ, one couple at a time. Online, on-demand instruction rooted in Saint John Paul II's Theology of the Body, combined with personalized mentoring from a trained married couple, builds a foundation for a strong, healthy, Christ-centered marriage between a man and a woman.
Any couple (dating, engaged, or married) can take this nationally renowned "Couple Checkup" assessment, developed by PREPARE/ENRICH, which will generate a report for you about your relationship. This is a productive way to have a conversation and move forward with growth and change in ways to strengthen your marriage. Maybe use the results as a topic for discussion on a special weekend retreat or date night--even Valentine's Day!
Take this free, simple quiz, based upon the New York Bestselling book, The 5 Love Languages® by Gary Chapman, with more than five million copies sold. The 5 Love Languages® has helped countless couples identify practical and powerful ways to express love, simply by using the appropriate love language. Many husbands and wives who had spent years struggling through marriages they thought were loveless discovered one or both spouses had long been showing love through messages that weren't getting through. By recognizing their different love languages, they witnessed the rebirth of the love they thought had been gone for good. Take this quiz and share it with your spouse to identify your primary love language .
Healthy Discussions for Engaged Couples - Scott Kedersha
Passion for marriage and a desire to help couples start off on the right foot is the motivation behind Scott Kedersha’s life’s work as a pastor, author and mentor. He’s counseled couples, led enrichment events and small groups, and taught pre-married classes, first for 18 years at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, and more recently taking the Marriage and Family Pastor position at Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco. Scott has even written a book, Ready or Knot?, to help dating and/or engaged couples decide whether to move forward toward marriage.
ePREP - Scott Stanley
Commitment — What does it look like in your life? Did you consciously decide to marry your spouse, or did you slide into a relationship after moving in or having a baby? Did you know you can change your path? No matter how you started, there’s hope for your relationships. And if you are not yet romantically involved, you can learn how you can set yourself up for future success.
You think you’ve met that perfect person with potential to be your life’s mate. Stars in your eyes, you are considering wedding bells. Before you say, “I do”, a wise couple will pause and consider how they might look for a way to develop skills that will help them build a strong foundation for their future together.
The Pre-Marriage Course, offered by world wide evangelistic ministry Alpha, is just that resource.
Newlywed Date Nites is a program to support couples in their first year of marriage. Sent every second week, each Date Nite includes topic information, reflection questions and a discussion guide for a 30-minute relationship activity that can be easily incorporated into a regular couple date. Compiled by the founders of SmartLoving, Dr Byron and Francine Pirola, it addresses common challenges facing newlyweds with wisdom, insight and humor.
Subscribe now!
Dating
Love Thinks - John Van Epp
Conversations about relationships can be difficult. It’s hard to put feelings into words, much less convey emotions and needs to your spouse without misunderstanding or hurt.
Relationship expert John Van Epp, Ph.D., founder of the Love Thinks programs, noticed this problem when he was conducting research for his doctorate degree. He was interested in discovering a way to explain the bonds that connect people using a visual model and descriptive language. John believed having better tools and words would enable people to understand what they were experiencing and empower them to communicate more clearly.
Useful Links
Part of the Marriage Initiative Family
