Interested? Please contact Rev. Robin Thompson  on (031) 201-6123. Or email 

WHO’S IT FOR?

It is for any engaged couple who wants to work at having the best possible start to their marriage. It doesn't matter how long you have been engaged - some couples have set a wedding date, while others have not. We also find couples who have been together for a while use the course to explore the idea of getting married.

The course is based on Christian principles for relationships and is run by Christians, but it is suitable for people with or without a church background. You do not need to be getting married in a church to come on the course.

• WHAT IS IT?

The Marriage Preparation Course has been running at the Holy Trinity Brompton church since 1985. It was published in September 2003 and is available for churches around the UK and leaders in other countries to use.

Over five evenings spent together you will learn important tools that will enable you to make your marriage work.

You will look at
• the importance of commitment
• how to recognise and appreciate your differences
• the art of communication
• resolving conflict
• spending time together
• nurturing your friendship
• making each other feel loved
• developing a good sexual relationship
• the importance of talking about your goals, values and dreams

The evenings are very relaxed. There is a meal followed by short talks combined with exercises and questions for you to discuss together as a couple.

• WHAT’S INVOLVED?

The course takes place over five evenings. A typical evening starts at 7pm and finishes by 9.45pm.

Each evening includes:
• A meal - you will probably sit together with two other engaged couples and a married couple known as a ‘support couple’ (they will be your hosts for the 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.
• Talk and discussion - each evening a live talk is given or a video of the talk played. The talk is broken up with opportunities for you and your fiancé(e) to talk through the issues raised as a couple.
• Homework - 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.

• FOCCUS QUESTIONNAIRE

Before the course starts you will be asked to complete a questionnaire called FOCCUS. This questionnaire will ask about different aspects of your relationship. It is not a test nor is it a predictor of whether your marriage will succeed or fail. It is a tool to help highlight any important issues that you would benefit from discussing before you get married.

It is by no means compulsory to complete the questionnaire but most couples find it very useful. Once you have completed it you will have the opportunity to discuss the results with your support couple.

• SUPPORT COUPLES

You will be introduced to your support couple on the first evening. They will be a married couple who have been married for at least two years. They will invite you to a meal at their home. You will have the opportunity to talk through any issues that have been raised by the course or through the questionnaire. Again, this is by no means compulsory but has been greatly appreciated by many couples.

• WHAT’S THE COST?

A basic charge, to cover the cost of the meals and materials.

• WHAT PEOPLE SAY:

'So many couples spend so much time preparing for their wedding ceremony rather than preparing for their marriage. I commend all couples intending to get married to do this course.' - J. John

'Nicky and Sila Lee are great communicators and, most importantly, they are honest. And we need that: we need young people at the very beginning of their lives together to tackle issues honestly. I believe The Marriage Preparation Course is going to be an incredible resource in our nation. I recommend it with all my heart.' - Rob Parsons

‘I thoroughly enjoyed the course. I’ve learnt so much and now instead of being terrified of our differences we have embraced them. Instead of worrying about what might go wrong we now have tools that will help us overcome those issues.’ - Unknown

‘Discussing new issues was a challenge, yet very rewarding and I feel drew us closer together. It was interesting to find that with most issues we had not yet discussed we had the same feelings.’
‘Without a doubt talking over the issues was beneficial to us. We have really tried to do things differently and put each other first.’

‘We found that many issues we'd never thought about discussing came up when we did Marriage Prep. We thoroughly enjoyed the course and gained so much practical advice from it that I believe we will use for years to come!’

‘It was an excellent way of making clear the differences between us and getting us to discuss it further in a good way. We know we have areas we need to work on, but we are very aware of them and how we can handle them.’

‘I believe that the course is great and it exceeded all my expectations. Thanks very much for getting our marriage off to a great start.’