Get ready for National Marriage Week
Have you ever thought about turning your church hall into a restaurant? Or have you ever struck a deal with your local florist so that you can provide a red rose for every woman in your congregation on the Sunday before Valentine's Day? Or have you ever thought about hosting a bridal fair in your church?
These are just some of the ideas springing from Marriage Week, an initiative launched in England around ten years ago now replicated in countries like Germany, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. This year National Marriage Week will run in Northern ireland from Monday 8th to Sunday 14th February.
Churches, voluntary organisations and many others have embraced Marriage Week as an opportunity to celebrate marriage, encourage those who are married to invest in their relationships and to promote healthy, durable relationships between married couples and their families.
You can start to prepare now by visiting the National Marriage Week website which offers a list of useful resources, an outline order of service, suitable prayers, readings and publicity material for parish magazines.