Focus on Couples

Merger - Marriage Enrichment Retreat Marriage Enrichment Retreat for Growing and Enriching Relationships Merger was a concept developed under the auspices of the Lutheran Church but open to Christian couples. It aims to: Provide couples with a weekend away at low cost Give relief from the stresses of daily life Focus on communication, fun and fellowship Reinforce and strengthen sound marriages where couples share a common Christian faith For more information, email Pastor Kevin Bell (kevin.bell@lca.org.au)

Prepare/Enrich Counselling Tools

• Prepare - pre-marriage counselling
• Prepare MC - pre-marriage counselling for those with children from a former relationship
• Mate - counselling for marriage enrichment, for dysfunctional marriages or couples who have lived together and plan to marry
• Enrich - counselling for couples planning to marry or re-marry later in life

Many Lutheran pastors are registered administrators.

Lutheran Community Care also offers this counselling.

For more information contact your local pastor, a Lutheran Community Care office or the national Prepare-Enrich Australia website.

Lutheran Community Care courses

From time to time Lutheran Community Care offers a range of marriage or relationship courses. Often these sessions can be arranged at regional centres.

Examples of recent courses include:

• After the honeymoon
• Building a new marriage (remarriage)
• Preparing for marriage
• Merger - Marriage enrichment
• Time for us - weekend retreat for married couples

Contact your District’s Marriage and Relationship Coordinator for more information.

Marriage Educators' Association of Australia

Check out the MEAA website (www.meaa.asn.au/) for book lists, book reviews, research papers, articles.