Marriage Encounter is for every husband and wife who desires a richer, fuller life together. No matter how good a marriage is, it can be improved. Even the best marriages can find new meaning and deepened joy on a Marriage Encounter weekend. Whether married for only a short time or for many years, couples of any age can work toward a richer marriage and a more meaningful future together through the weekend experience.
The weekend begins on Friday evening at 8:00 pm and ends around 3:30 pm on Sunday. The weekend is led by four married couples—three lay couples and one pastoral couple—in a structured and informative manner. Through a series of presentations given by this team of volunteers, a couple is given the opportunity to look at themselves, their relationship with each other, with God, and with the world around them. Following each presentation, couples are given time for reflection in the privacy of their own rooms. In this way a couple is encouraged to become aware of their own feelings about various aspects of their marriage.
YES! Although presentations are given to the group as a whole, each couple shares the details of their relationship only with each other in the privacy of their room. A couple is never required to share personal information about their marriage with others.
YES—all are welcome on a weekend. There are many faith expressions in the Worldwide Marriage Encounter family. The weekend is given within the framework of Christianity and the presenting couples share from their own faith. Thus, our weekends are presented by couples who are members of the United Church of Christ or Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
A $40 per couple non-refundable fee is required to register for a weekend. On Sunday afternoon the costs of the weekend are explained, and each couple is given the opportunity to make a confidential contribution to the future of Marriage Encounter. There is, however, no pressure to do so. The opportunity to experience a Marriage Encounter weekend is never denied for financial reasons.
On the weekend, couples learn a communication technique called dialogue and discover a new way to explore important aspects of their life together with love and understanding. By continuing their dialogue after the weekend, husbands and wives continue to grow closer and live more joyful lives. After the weekend, for those who choose, there is a community of couples who have shared the weekend experience, which provides a supportive environment for couples to continue growing in their relationship.