Marriage Week occurs in the second week of September each year at the beginning of the Lord’s festivals (Leviticus 23). the Week is a time to honour and celebrate marriages of God’s design, one man and one woman in a lifetime covenant.
We of the Christian Church have a responsibility to take radical measures to restore the understanding of covenant marriage. We also need to ensure that God’s design and purpose is known and understood. We need to push back the worldly influence that is eroding the values of marriage and family. (See our page on “The Importance of Marriage”)
All in the Church, men and women, young and old, each have their vital God given functions to fulfil in the church to become a light in the world and living out the Christian doctrine they profess. Let us all work together to reclaim the ‘sanctity of marriage’ through growing a ‘marriage culture’ in family and church family life.
After prayer, you might like to bring together 2 or 3 couples with a strong marriage and one or two others who honour marriage to organise an “event” in the Week and/or on the Saturday of Marriage Week the Great Aussie Date Night/Wedding Supper >>. With the Wedding Supper (Revelation 19:6-9) all the church can be involved.
If you are reading this and are not the church pastor or minister, then speak to them early on. They need to be involved, at some level, adds credibility and communicates the priority and approval of the leadership.
Ideas for Marriage Week
Below are some ideas for Marriage Week, on how you can celebrate and honour marriage during that week. Before looking at those ask your self these questions:
If you are married:
- how do you honour marriage in your home?
- Do you celebrate your wedding anniversary or wedding anniversaries in your family?
- Do you pray together for your marriage and for each other?
- Do you in your prayers thank God for His blessings on your marriage?
- Have you thanked those that have contributed to the strength of your marriage, they may even be role models to you?
Within the church we know some honour birthdays but do you honour wedding anniversaries?
Does the church have any pro-active programs in place aimed at strengthening marriages or for those who are to get married?
Are the youth taught about marriage and sexual purity?
After prayerful consideration of these questions here are a few ideas on ways that you can honour marriage, in the home and through the church that will help to create a ‘marriage culture’ and help to build marriages along the way:
Launch of New Items within the Church
- Start a new sermon series on Marriage – God’s Design & Purpose
- Seek out couples with strong Christ centred marriages who are willing to be interviewed and give their testimony.
- Host a conference:
- Power to Change has “Love that Lasts” or their “A Day Together” conference that can be hosted in your church, learn more and from the Power to Change web site.
- ‘Married for Life’ conference (2=1 Australia )
- SmartLoving Talks/Workshops can be tailored to your parish needs such as engaged couples/ newlyweds/ school parents/ youth, or a SmartLoving Marriage seminar (SmartLoving resources from the ‘ Marriage Resource Centre‘)
- Give notice that a course that is aimed at those about to get married is starting at a specific date, or a course for those already married that will help build/ strengthen their marriage
For Young People
Host a forum about marriage and relationships for young people in your church. Make it an open forum so they can to invite their friends from the community.
Involve the wider community in Marriage Week
Celebrate marriages within your church and wider community by holding events over receptions, luncheons, dinners etc. This could be in conjunction with other churches in your area and also local business, media, shire councils etc. Include the presentation on “What makes a strong Marriage” (part of The Marriage Course)or a film such as “War Room” or “Fireproof”. Honour marriages with a small gift, where their marriage has one or more of the following qualities:
- Role Model ~ Honouring marriages that have had an impact on the life of the community.
- Priorities Right ~ An award to recognise a couple(s) that have seen the priorities in their marriage and have made best endeavours to keep them.
- Longevity Award ~ Recognising the couple in your church and or community that have been married the longest. This could be a “Hall of Fame” recognising all marriages for, say, over 25 years in length.
- Business Couples ~ This recognises couples that have ‘used’ their marriage to create a new business/ministry that has served your community.
With all of these ideas/awards the couples will need to be selected by nomination to a committee. Rules will need to be in place, for example to exclude committee members or their spouses from being nominated. The nominations need to be completed prior to Marriage Week and will all be part of your promotion of Marriage Week.
