| Couples Ministry |
Couples: Mark your calendars for the next Marriage Enrichment Program. On Saturday, May 14th, from 6:30–9:00 pm, parishioners Bonnie and Jim Bell will conduct a mini-workshop, "The Masters and the Disasters." The workshop will be based on the work of John Gottman at the renowned "Love Lab" in Seattle. Observing and studying the communication patterns and styles of thousands of couples for over 30 years, Gottman and his colleagues found that all couples experience conflict, and it is how they deal with conflict that determines whether they'll end up as marriage Masters or Disasters.
Jim & Bonnie Bell have been on the Marriage Prep Team at Newman for 18 years and themselves have been married for 27 years. Two years ago they participated in a Gottman Weekend Workshop for Couples at Mercy Center. They are eager to share with other couples the communication tools they learned at that workshop. These tools, they say, will be unlike any you've previously heard or read about.
To register or for more information, contact Amy LaGoy & Joe Burns at 510-665-5680 or aclagoy@gmail.com, or Beth and Alan Roselius at 510-881-2879 or arose919@att.net.
Note: We encourage couples who have participated in a Gottman Workshop to come and share their experiences.
Maybe instead of feeling romantic, you're feeling a bit blah. Maybe 'show love to partner' feels like one more chore on your long list of things to do.
Maybe, love IS in the air, and you're enjoying a blissful period in your relationship.
Is it a phase? Can you make it last?
Maybe you'd just like to meet or renew friendships with other couples in the parish.
We invite you all (the stuck, the blissful, the sociable, and the just curious) to come to the Couples Ministry Spring 2010 Marriage Enrichment Dinner Program.
Saturday, May 15th
6:00–9:00 PM
Newman Center, Upstairs
Anna Marie Franco, a marriage and family counselor with 15 years experience working with couples and families in the Oakland Diocese and the East Bay, will, with her husband Chuck Siebenand, be guiding us through a series of activities intended to help reawaken the romance in our relationships. More information about Anna Marie Franco can be found here and at her web site.
With our partners, we will have a chance to identify our individual preferences for giving and receiving love, and explore how we can use this awareness to enhance romance. We'll have opportunities to talk about the things that we find wonderful in our life together, and what we do (and might do) to keep the connection with our partners vibrant and passionate. We'll also learn how our differences can become positive, even exciting, elements in our relationships.
Anna Marie will be drawing on some of the approaches of Harville Hendrix, the best selling author of Getting the Love You Want and of Gary Chapman, author of the popular book, The Five Love Languages.
To register: Please call Beth & Alan Roselius at (510) 881-2879 by Thurs., May 13th.
Donation: $25.00 per couple, payable in cash or check made out to Newman on the evening of the event.
Babysitting will be available at Newman for a limited number of children for $10–$15/family. Please plan to feed your children ahead of time or bring food for them to eat. To request the babysitting service call Amy LaGoy & Joe Burns at (510) 665-5680 by Wednesday, May 12th.