The Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and its members celebrated 45 years with us on May 11, 2017, with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony and hors-d’oeuvres. We would like to thank the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and everyone who came to help us celebrate this wonderful event! Photography by Kristina Lynn Photography & Designs.
The weekend was better than we’d hoped for – and we already had high hopes going into it!
If Pam and Steve gave us good feedback, it definitely wasn’t just down to me and Liz – a healthy slice of that credit needs to go to them as amazing teachers.
Why Marriage Encounter?
We talk about lots of things as a couple. Inevitably, that runs into some miscommunications too … which is why we find ourselves laughing so much when standup comedians joke about the differences between men and women, and we see ourselves in their routines. What we both enjoyed so much about Engaged Encounter (2014) and Marriage Encounter (2016) was the content had us ask questions of one another we might not ordinarily ask – not because they were awkward/uncomfortable – but because they might not be on our radar. The classes were a great way to learn more about one another, and a commitment to continual learning is a promise we’ve made to one another.
Two things at our 2016 Marriage Encounter
We were not prepared for the pouring of heartfelt thanks. Affirmation isn’t why we chose to volunteer (and it isn’t why we will volunteer again); so it actually came as quite a shock. Almost a day later…we’re still trying to process it, to be honest.
The Lord blesses us each with gifts, Saint Paul instructed the Corinthians in his first letter and offers them to us for our use in building His kingdom. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit,” Paul writes, “and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but the same God who inspires them all in every one.” In service and in evangelizing, many gifts are needed, all of them with equal dignity and worth.
I think about this often, especially in terms of ministry – including Marriage Encounter. Not too long after Marcia and I became a team couple for MN Marriage Encounter, our dear friend Mary Jackson asked us to join the board of directors for the organization. Then, as now, the board consisted of good friends and dedicated people looking to offer their unique gifts for the success of our combined effort to strengthen marriages and families in our communities. Over nearly 16 years – most of those as President Couple – Marcia and I have had the joy and blessing of working with a number of faithful servants of the Lord and benefited from their gifts.
And thankfully, the board has the privilege of supporting an entire community of gifted people! Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul writes about the specific gifts within the kingdom: “And God has appointed in the Church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues.” Who are team couples but teachers and healers? Mary and Sandy are certainly workers of miracles, keeping the organization afloat through stormy times. What blessings we have!
We board members bring gifts of administration and helping, but we get so much back from our efforts. As always, the board could use more members, more friends to bring their specific gifts to further our mission and serve the Lord. For those who might be discerning about how and where to put their gifts to use, please consider coming to a board meeting soon and spend a little time with us.
May the Lord bless your families, and thank you for the blessings your service has already brought so many others.
Your brother in Christ,
Ed Morrissey
Marriage Encounter began in 1952 in Barcelona Spain, Fr Gabriel Calvo was struck with two moving experiences that sparked the Marriage Encounter program. On one hand, Fr Calvo had couples coming to him with their problems, conflicts, and tensions with each other and their families. On the other hand, and at about the same time, Calvo came in contact with a group of young couples who deeply impressed him with the evidence of what marriage could be. Their marriages were a picture of mutual trust and conjugal unity, based on a profound spiritual understanding of the meaning of marriage. This is exactly what the other couples were desperately seeking and could not find. Calvo sought the cooperation of these couples in a program of help for those couples who were struggling to make their marriages and family life better. Fr. Calvo makes it very clear in his writings that he did not want the program to have denominational lines.
Therefore, Minnesota Marriage Encounter has always been an inter-faith organization.
In 1966 Calvo and a group of encountered Spanish couples brought Marriage Encounter to the United States. Since then, it has spread rapidly throughout the United States and many other countries. Marriage Encounter has its roots in the Christian church but it serves couples of all faiths. The weekend is God-centered with emphasis on personal and couple spirituality rather than doctrine. Thus began the original concept of Marriage Encounter in the need of a married couple to grow together and in the belief that the future transformation of the world begins at the heart of the family – the couple.
The first Marriage Encounter was held in Minnesota in 1972 and since that time over 24,000 couples have attended a weekend. December 2011 marked weekend number 1316. Minnesota Marriage Encounter is the largest National Marriage Encounter affiliate in the United States.
With the success and positive impact of Marriage Encounter, a program was developed for couples considering marriage, called Engaged Encounter and November 2011 marked weekend number 441. Engaged Encounter provides an opportunity for couples to explore their relationship together to find ways to make it stronger, fulfilling, joyful and a lifetime commitment.
