Faith and Community Group Resources
Marriage Week is a great time for investing in marriage and the central part it plays in building strong communities.
Faith groups have long recognised the need to invest in marriages. Both of couples in congregations and those in the wider communities that the local church exists within. Investing in marriages strengthens the individuals, the relationships and the community. It helps prevents potential heart-ache, distress and long term damage for both the adults and children involved.
Choose your level of engagement, download the resources and tell us what you’re planning and how it goes.
Pray and encourage people to join in Marriage Week
Marriage Week Prayer
We have a prayer written for us by Sandra Millar who leads the work on weddings in the Church of England including yourchurchwedding.org
You can use this in a service around Marriage Week or print it in your church news-sheets or make it available on your website.
God of love,
Thank you for our marriage;
For shared laughter and tears;
for strength in our weakness,
And enough for life each day.
Thank you for the gifts we bring each other,
And bless us as we grow together in love,
Through all that life brings through the years.
Amen.
[Sandra Millar, Head of Life Events, The Church of England]
Marriage Week Resources
Encourage your community to join in with Marriage Week activities.
Use the logo to highlight it in your news sheets or on screen.
‘My Marriage’ resources for the Sikh community provided by Share Charity
If you’re part of the Sikh community, we have some excellent resources to help you think about the value of your marriage and to help you reflect on how you can grow as a couple to maintain a healthy marriage. If you’re getting married, we also have some resources to help you consider the key elements of a wedding day. What issues do you need to be aware of and what areas will help you focus on the significance of becoming a married couple?
Focus on marriage in one of your services
Talks for your Marriage Week service by Phil Steer
Phil Steer, author of As a Child: God’s Call to Littleness regularly provides talks for use during Marriage Week and he’s written a talk for 2021! This one is called, “Naked Marriage” – Companionship. Please use the download buttons (PDF or audio) to access this talk. Phil’s talks are written to be inclusive so that those married and those not married can be part of your service (whether it be a streamed service or in person!)
Please continue to make use of his talk from 2020: ‘The Forever Conversation’. As well as a written talk for you to download, he’s recorded the talk too. (You’ll find a standard length and a shortened version of the talk to suit your service).
And Phil’s talk from the 2019 campaign, ‘Recipe for a Healthy Marriage’, is also available for your use.
Phil Steer is married, with three grown-up children. He lives with his wife Ali and daughter in Romford, east London, and works with numbers in the London insurance market. He is the author of As a Child: God’s Call to Littleness – which was serialised by BRF in their prayer and spirituality journal, Quiet Spaces.
The Naked Marriage Talk
Two versions of The Forever Conversation Talk
The longer – 19 min – talk
The shorter – 12 min – talk
Talks for your Marriage Week service By John Clarke
John Clarke is passionate about the value of marriage and family within the Church and across society. John kindly agreed to write a talk for Marriage Week 2020, which reflects these values. The talk is called ‘Home’ and within it, he explores what that means for the church and families. This talk can be downloaded and used for a streamed service during Marriage Week.
I’m John Clarke and above all, I’m a follower of Christ. I’m married to Joni and have 3 beautiful daughters, Poppy, Amelie and Elsie. I serve as Senior Pastor of the Hull Vineyard Church. I love all things Yorkshire, sport and food.
Prayer Stations
Used as part of a service, a mid-week activity, and open church or within a prayer room that lasts for as little or as much time as you wish (perhaps for the whole of Marriage Week), our prayer station resources can be used as a whole or pick and choose which stations to offer. There’s something here for all ages too!
During 2021, as we continue to manage the restrictions of the pandemic, we encourage you to adapt this resource to comply with the current government guidelines. This includes, creating your prayer spaces at home to participate in these prayer stations. This can be done with your household, as part of an online video call with other members of your community or as prayer stations outside with another household.
Use Marriage Week to celebrate and invest in marriages and relationships
Downloadable, printable cards and e-cards
Our partner, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, have provided some Marriage Week resources which they’d like to share. They are as follows:
- Selfie celebration card: Print the selfie card, write in the ‘star’ the number of years you’ve been married for, take a selfie of yourselves holding the card up and post on social media using the hashtags #marriageweek #nakedmarriage
- Marriage Week card ‘virtual card’ for emailing or a printable card for printing and posting: These cards can be sent to a couple who you’d like to encourage during Marriage Week and to invite them to join in with UK National Marriage Week. We suggest that you direct them to the Marriage Week website to take advantage of all of this year’s resources.
(IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PRINTING: in the print menu, select “Print on both sides of paper” with the option to “Flip on the short edge”)
Prayer Room
Setting aside a space for people to come and focus on Jesus within Marriage Week, regardless of their circumstance, relationship status or age.
During 2021, as we continue to manage the restrictions of the pandemic, we encourage you to adapt this resource to comply with the current government guidelines. Creating your prayer room at home, doesn’t have to be restricted to inside, if the weather allows, create spaces in your garden too!
Couples Evening
An evening for couples within your community to enjoy a meal together and focus on the Marriage Week ‘ingredients’. This resource works for any couples who are married or in a relationship.
During 2021, as we continue to manage the restrictions of the pandemic, we encourage you to adapt this resource to comply with the current government guidelines so that couples can enjoy an evening together during Marriage Week but from home. This might include providing a meal for couples to enjoy at home and information on how to make the most of the Marriage Week resources from the website and this year’s theme.
Wedding Feast
A celebratory ‘Wedding Feast’ for everyone in the community to join together as the bride of Christ and reflect on the good of marriage for couples, families, children and society as a whole.
During 2021, as we continue to manage the restrictions of the pandemic, we encourage you to adapt this resource to comply with the current government guidelines. This year, create your own wedding feast as home or in your garden if the weather allows. This can be done with your household, as part of an online video call with other members of your community or as an outside meal with another household (each household to bring their own food to ensure safety when gathering together and to maintain social distancing in accordance with government guidelines).
