2019 Marriage Preparation Course
Testimonies by facilitators & participants
Ronnie and Leah Tay - Facilitators
Some months ago, the Family Life Ministry asked us to prayerfully consider being group facilitators for Marriage Preparation Course 2019. We accepted the invitation, as we felt it a privilege to be part of this important endeavour to help couples learn what God's will is in the covenant of marriage, so that they can not only begin their marriage right, but also prepare well for marriage during their courtship.
There were 17 couples who registered for this course. For small group discussions, each group had about 4-5 couples with a pair of married facilitators. We met over 7 sessions in April and May. Some already had their wedding date fixed, while others had not decided on marriage yet but were keen to grow further in their relationship through this course. They were all very committed, faithfully coming each Wednesday evening after a whole day at work, to listen to a speaker or watch a video, share with each other during 'couple time', as well discuss the week's topic as a group. The group discussions were good opportunities for us to share with them issues that they may not have thought about during their courtship, but which could strain their marriage. It was most encouraging for us to see these young couples being so open to God's teaching and earnestly preparing themselves for marriage.
Though we have been married for 25 years, we benefitted very much ourselves through the teaching on the various topics of this course, such as the biblical view of marriage, responsibilities as husband and wife, values in healthy relationships, intimacy, communication and conflict management and even money matters. We learnt much, too, from the participants' sincere questions and open sharing, and appreciated hearing the different perspectives of these millennials, who were not much older than our two young adult sons! It was also a joy to work closely with the MPC2019 team as well as our fellow group facilitators, in praying for the couples and preparing for each session.
We are most blessed to have been a part of this ministry, journeying with the young couples over this short period of time, out of gratitude for the work God has done in our own marriage. Indeed, we are reminded to keep working at it, with His help!
Allen & Jenny Cheng - Facilitators
Our experience volunteering as Marriage Preparation Course facilitators over 7 weeks was fruitful and fulfilling. It was wonderful to learn alongside the participants. Going through the weekly sessions and homework really helped us to refresh our own memories and lessons learnt in our 28 years of marriage. Such memories also resulted in thanksgiving to God who has been our source of love, strength, and unfailing hope in times of trial.
The Lord has redeemed us from our past mistakes and blessed us so much even through difficult times that we feel the need to be His channel of blessing to others. Serving and volunteering in the Marriage Preparation Course is one of the ways that helps keep our marriage fresh and flourishing, as we seek to encourage these young couples.
Life after marriage with the arrival of young kids tends to pose a great challenge for married couples to get away by themselves to spend meaningful time together, romancing each other and keeping their love life constantly alive. We believe that this was a great opportunity for the participants to learn biblical truths together concerning what marriage is about and how they can establish weekly date nights where both partners can connect, communicate, and re-establish whatever might have been lost in the hassles of their busy lives.
In our last session, we had the privilege to individually pray for each couple in our group. To be able to pray for them, bless them and have some personal time encouraging them felt like such a wonderful way to close the 7-week course.
"We pray for you, young people, wishing you God's best as you embark on this journey together. We are confident that you will not stop learning and blessing your own marriage so that you can become living testimonies for many more younger couples in time to come. May your pillars of marriage and family life be strengthened. May your strong and loving marriages be the building blocks of our church and society, reflecting the oneness of our triune God and giving glory to Him. Amen.
Caleb & Lianne - Participants
Growing up in a Christian family and being in church has made me aware of how God views marriage, and how spouses should interact and love each other. However, we know that no relationship is ever without its problems, and that includes ours.
My fiancé, Caleb, and I signed up for the Marriage Preparation Course ahead of our wedding in January 2019, in the hope of learning more about each other, and building a good foundation for our marriage. And indeed, the course did not disappoint.
Held over a span of two months in April and May, the course comprised weekly sessions where we learnt more about the Biblical basis of marriage, leaving and cleaving, how to communicate and manage conflicts, as well as practical topics like handling our finances after marriage.
We appreciated the weekly group sharing sessions, where all the couples were split up into groups led by an older couple in the church. Our facilitators, Wai Choong and Le Peng, answered our questions frankly and honestly, and gave us practical advice on how to handle difficult situations such as our relationships with our in-laws.
We also went through an assessment with a trained counsellor after each of us had filled out a detailed questionnaire. To us, that was the most interesting and beneficial part of the course – we learnt so much about our strengths and weaknesses as a couple, and how we can work through our weaknesses to grow stronger as a couple.
Ultimately, as Caleb and I went through the course, we found ourselves growing closer to each other and understanding each other more as we discussed the course materials in our free time and learnt more about how each of us loves and wants to be loved in return.
And as we came to understand more clearly the role God has ordained for each of us in our relationship, we found ourselves seeking God more and drawing closer to Him, to understand His will for us in our marriage.