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FAMILY
- 5.1 Early Parenting
- Click here to download the Parish Strategic Planning Guide created to fulfill Goal 5.1: Early Parenting
- 5.2 Newly Married Couple Mentoring:
- See Subsection Below
- 5.3 Orthodox Home
- 5.4 Seniors Programs:
- Click here to download the Parish Strategic Planning Guide created to fulfill Goal 5.4: Seniors Program
- 5.1 Early Parenting
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5.2 Newly Married Couple Mentoring
Framework of the Ministry
- The Newly Married Couples Ministry is a nine-month program that meets once a month.
- The Core Objectives of the ministry should be rotated each month. Social events, group discussions, and mentor couple sessions will be alternated.
- Ideally a mentor couple should be the ministry’s Group leader. However, if this is not possible, a newly married couple can act as the ministry’s group leader.
- Discussion curriculum is provided, in addition, the program supplies additional discussions so each parish can tailor the ministry to fit their own newly married group.
- A Leader’s Guide is provided for group discussions. Each discussion should last about 30-45 minutes. The Group Leader’s Guide provides the proficiency for the leader so that he or she may facilitate the discussions with confidence, despite their level of knowledge or leadership capabilities. It also, reinforces the leader’s role as a facilitator (and not a counselor). Another key element is that it helps the leader stay on topic and insures that the discussion is within the authority of the Orthodox Church.
- We suggest the Newly Married Mentoring Ministry gather at the church. This will allow couples to be fully engaged without outside distractions. However, depending on the number of participants and the group’s demographics, the ministry can assemble at a participant’s home; creating a Newly Married Small Group.
- Whether the group meets at the church or in homes, a Pot luck dinner is always fun.
- If a mentor couple is the group leader, they still need to recruit other mentor couples to participate.
Identifying the Group Leader:
As this ministry is a mentoring program, it would be ideal for a Mentor Couple to be the ministry group leaders. Mentoring Couples are couples who have been married for preferably ten years or longer, have a loving relationship with each other, and are living out the sacraments of our Orthodox faith. However, if it is not possible for a Mentor Couple to lead the group, a newly married couple may act as the ministry team leader. All leaders need approval from the presiding priest.
Group Leader Instructions
The group leader (GL) implements the ministry program and drives the process of communication and event planning.
This includes the following check point steps:
STEP 1- Familiarize yourself with the program.
STEP 2- Organize a binder by printing out all ministry resource information.
STEP 3- Create an email data base of all newly married couples in your church community. This can be done through your church office data base.
STEP 4- Compile a list of possible Mentor Couples.
STEP 5- Set up a meeting with the presiding priest for him to approve the potential mentoring couples.
STEP 6- Decide on a communication method for participants.
STEP 7- Plan the events of the year, as much as you are able to at this point. The year begins with a Kick off Dinner and ends with a wrap up social event before taking a break for the summer. Each month in between these opening and closing events will have one function. There will be four group discussions, three social events and two sessions with Mentor Couples.
STEP 8
Decide on a date for Kick off Dinner . This is a fellowship dinner, hosted/planned by the group leader and should take place in August or September. This can be at someone’s home, restaurant, potluck picnic at a park, beach, etc.
STEP 9- Create a flyer for the Kick off Dinner to launch the ministry. You may use the sample flyer attached or create your own. A great tool to help you create your own is canva.com.
STEP 10- Review Facilitator Guidelines.
STEP 11- Meet with Mentor Couples and go over Mentor Guidelines.
STEP 12- At the Kick off Dinner event hand out a short survey. This information will provide feedback about what the group’s overall demographics are. It will also identify what the group would like to accomplish and begin to define what their specific goals or concerns might be. At this dinner, also, review dates, times, locations of all future meetings.
TURNING TOWARD VS. TURNING AWAY
CULTIVATING LOVE AND ONENESS: REFLECTING ON THE CANDLES AND CROWNS OF MARRIAGEHOW IMPORTANT IS CONVERSATION IN A MARRIAGE?
GOTTMAN 17 AREAS
FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER
EXPECTATION OF MARRIAGE AND LOVE
BUILDING ON THE ROCK
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