WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL LUTHERAN MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER?

(Click here for a special download for pastors.)

Lutheran Marriage Encounter "A Weekend of Discovery -- A Lifetime of Love"

What have millions of married couples discovered?

-- Effective communication in marriage leads to enhanced romance.

-- Strengthening a marriage enriches the entire family.

-- Feelings can be shared without fear.

-- Improved listening skills increase acceptance and trust.

-- A lifetime of commitment can be filled with joy.

-- Passion can continue through all of life's ups and downs.

-- Marriage is an exciting and fulfilling journey.

-- A husband and wife can be best friends.

-- Preventive maintenance makes sense in marriage, too!

Mike McMannis, columnist and author of Marriage Savers:
"Marriage Encounter is an opportunity for people to rediscover the person they fell in love with,
and to fall back in love with that person. It is something that every couple deserves. Deserves!"

For whom is Marriage Encounter intended?

-- For a husband and wife who love each other and desire to better their communication,
from newlyweds to couples married fifty or more years

-- For those with good communication skills to deepen them

-- For those with poor communication skills to improve them

What is the cost?

A non-refundable registration fee is required. Marriage Encounter is a totally self-supporting, non-commercial, non-profit organization. Toward the end of the Weekend, the cost of a Weekend will be explained and each couple will be given a blank envelope and will be asked to make a confidential donation. Our major source of income to allow Lutheran Marriage Encounter to continue to offer Weekends is the donations from couples who have experienced Weekends. We ask for a donation, rather than charging a set fee, because we want the Weekend to be available to all couples regardless of their financial situation. No one is ever denied a Weekend for financial reasons.

What is a Marriage Encounter Weekend?

This special weekend experience, lasting from Friday evening until early Sunday evening, is designed to help married couples improve their communication in order to deepen and enrich their relationship. While couples listen to a series of presentations as a group, there is NO group discussion.

The Weekend Provides:

-- A relaxed and private setting

-- Time away from daily pressures and responsibilities

-- The opportunity to focus on the couple relationship in private

What happens on a Marriage Encounter Weekend?

The Marriage Encounter Weekend is a 48 hour interaction between husband and wife. It begins on a Friday evening at about 7:00 PM and ends around 4:00 PM Sunday.

Couples meet in a conference room, to hear presentations given by a Lutheran clergy couple and three other Lutheran couples. These are not classes or lectures. They are presentations that can lead to improving communications between husband and wife. Presenting couples tell their own story of techniques they have tried. They describe ones that have worked for them, and ones that haven't worked for them. They talk about areas in their life where they've had successes in communicating and areas where they're still struggling.

After each presentation, the couples are given a question, some time for each spouse to think and write about it, and time for the couple to share their feelings about that particular question in the privacy of their own room. It is not a group discussion. It is husband and wife sharing. Then, they return to the conference room for another presentation. The Weekend is a whole series of presentations. Each presentation builds on the one before it.

There is a worship service on Sunday afternoon.

How do I register?

To register for a Weekend, it is necessary to submit a completed registration form and a $45 tax deductible deposit. The deposit is a non-refundable registration fee. If you are unable to attend, your registration fee will be transferred to another Weekend. The registration is active until you participate in a Marriage Encounter Weekend.

After your registration is received, you will get a letter with more details of the Weekend, where it is to be held, and how to get there.

For North America, find a Weekend you are interested in attending HERE and register on line at God Loves Marriage.
For the European areas, visit the country of interest website HERE.