The Marriage Course & The Marriage Preparation Course 2012
The Marriage Course
The Marriage Course is for any couple who wants to invest in their relationship, whether you have been together 1 or 61 years and whether you have a strong relationship or are struggling.
About the course
The Marriage Course was developed by Nicky and Sila Lee, co-authors of The Marriage Book and The Parenting Book. They have been married for over thirty years, have four children and are on the staff at Holy Trinity Brompton - the London church that started the Alpha course. They started The Marriage Preparation Course in 1985 and The Marriage Course in 1996, and the courses continue to spread with thousands of courses now running around the world.
They have spoken to thousands on the subject of marriage and are the co-authors of The Marriage Book which has sold over 52,000 copies since it was published in 2000. They run The Marriage Course three times a year at Holy Trinity Brompton with around 100 couples on each course.
The Marriage Course are presented on DVD by Nicky and Sila, interspersed with filmed clips of couples talking about their experiences of marriage, and street interviews from around the world.
Over seven sessions of the course you will discover practical tools to help you:
- understand each other's needs
- communicate more effectively
- grow closer through resolving conflict
- heal the ways you've hurt each other
- recognise how your upbringing affects your relationship
- improve relationships with parents and in-laws
- develop greater sexual intimacy
- discover each other's love languages and much, much more!
There is never any group work and you will never be asked to share anything about your relationship with anyone other than your partner.
The next Marriage Course will be after Easter 2012 on Thurs evenings.
The titles and dates of the sessions are:
Thurs 3rd May Session 1: Building Strong Foundations
Thurs 10th May Session 2: The Art of Communication
(Week's gap)
Thurs 31st May Session 4: The Power of Forgiveness
(Week's gap)
Thurs 14th June Session 5: Parents and In-Laws
Thurs 21st June Session 6: Good Sex
(Week's gap)
Thurs 5th July Session 7: Love in Action
Thurs 12th July Marriage Course Party 7.30-9.30pm (guests welcome)
Each session is from 7.30-10.00pm, with drinks served from 7.15pm.
The cost of the course is £60 per couple, which includes a meal for two each evening, and the Marriage Course Party.
More information on the course sessions is available at www.themarriagecourse.org and will be sent to you on registration.
The other Churches in Bexley who run The Marriage Course are
Trinity Baptist Church, Bexleyheath
Sidcup Baptist Church
New Generation Church, Sidcup
Sidcup New Community Church
Contact details for these Churches can be found on www.transformbexleyborough.com
If you would like either to provisionally book places on The Marriage Course at St John's, or you would like someone to contact you to speak about it, please complete the online form below or telephone 020 8303 1107 or post your details to St John's Church, Danson Lane, Welling DA16 2BQ
The Marriage Preparation Course
Who is it for?
Are you engaged or seriously considering marriage?
Do you want to have the best possible start to your marriage?
If you answered yes to these questions then The Marriage Preparation Course is for you.
Most couples spend countless hours preparing for the wedding, but little, if any time preparing for married life. The Marriage Preparation Course can help you develop strong foundations for a lasting marriage.
What is the course?
A five session course set in a fantastic atmosphere. You will be served with a candlelit meal and/or coffee, tea and dessert in a romantic setting while listening to practical talks that are informative and fun, either given live or played on DVD. There is never any group work and you will never be asked to share anything about your relationship with anyone other than your partner.
The Marriage Preparation Course is for any engaged couple who wants to give their marriage the best possible start. It doesn't matter how long you have been engaged - some couples have set a wedding date, while others have not. Or if you have been living together and would like to explore the idea of getting married, or if one or both of you have been married before. Whilst the course is based on Christian principles, it is designed for all couples with or without a church background. You do not need to be getting married in a church to come on the course.
What can I expect on the course?
The course takes place over five evenings, starting at 7.30pm and ending by 10pm. Drinks will be served from 7.15pm.
There will be a warm welcome, and a meal will be served each night. You will sit with other engaged couples and a host couple who will be leading the course, and there will be other couples at tables for 2 taking part in The Marriage Course. You can chat to the others or just use the time to talk to each other.
At no time on the course will you have to disclose anything personal to anyone else. There will be practical talks that are informative and fun, played on DVD. They include filmed clips of couples talking about their own experiences of marriage.
Coffee and discussion time will be as a couple. You will be given opportunities to discuss the topics with your fiancé(e). Music is played so you can’t hear couples and they can’t hear you! There is no group work, so relax - you will not have to share anything about your relationship with anyone else.
At the end of each session you are given some homework to do together. This will help you to build on what you have learnt and give you the opportunity to apply it to your relationship. Don't worry - it won't be marked! It isn't looked at by anyone else and is just for your own benefit.
The course dates for 2012 are not yet available.
The cost of the course is £35 per couple, but for couples marrying at St John's, the course fee is already included in the wedding fee.
If you would like to consider attending The Marriage Preparation Course, please contact us at stjohns.welling@virgin.net, 020 8303 1107, or use the online form above, including 'MPC' somewhere in your details.
For more general information about The Marriage Preparation Course, visit