Looking for ways you can promote and strengthen marriages in your church and community? Consider some of the following:
- Start a Marriage Hall of Fame for those in your community who have been married for 25, 40 or 50 years or more. Post their pictures and reasons for their success in a prominent public place like the marriage license office, library or in the newspaper.
- Organize an annual weekend marriage retreat.
- Ask your congregation or daycare to sponsor a date night for married couples. Include childcare.
- Educate people about the benefits of marriage.
- Organize friends and family to write letters asking their legislators to pass laws that will strengthen marriages.
- Encourage couples in your community to pray daily together that their own marriage will be strengthened as well as the marriages of their friends and family.
- Provide information on building strong marriages at local bridal shows, county fairs, festivals, etc.
- Set up an e-mail service/blog that sends out marriage strengthening ideas on a regular basis.
- Write a letter of encouragement to newlywed couples within your church/community. Include a list of your favorite marriage strengthening tips and a pledge to support their marriage.
- Ask the leader of your congregation or organization to recognize the couples who are celebrating their anniversaries each month.
- Write an article or letter to the editor on strengthening marriages and submit it to the local newspaper.
- Form a community organization to strengthen marriages. See more information under Community Initiatives.
- Interview older people about marriage. Share their wisdom in articles, on the radio or in schools.
- Network! Enlist business, religious, civic, education, legal, health, mental health, and media communities in the work of building strong marriages.
- Organize marriage education seminars for couples at various marital stages: engaged, newlywed, new parent, remarried, etc.
- Ask your religious leader, mayor, legislator, or governor to pass a Marriage Week proclamation. Marriage Week is Feb. 7-14.
- Volunteer to speak at high schools or civic groups on the benefits of marriage and how to gain the skills to have a successful marriage.
- Hold a Marriage Celebration conference that focuses on strengthening marriages in your community. Events could include a speaker, dinner, workshops and a recommitment ceremony.
- Become certified to teach a marriage education program and start offering classes in your church or community.
- Ask the county clerk’s office to hand our premarital and newlywed education brochures to couples applying for a marriage license.
- Develop a marriage mentoring program.
- Contact TV and radio stations about running public service announcements on marriage.
- Ask movie theaters, restaurants, ice cream parlors, sports arenas, etc. to recognize anniversaries with a free ice cream cone, dessert, or 2-for-1 tickets.
- Start a stepfamily support group.
- Make a handout that provides information on premarital education opportunities in your community. Place these in wedding-related businesses such as jewelers, bridal shops, florists, caterers, photographers, and bridal fairs.
- Create a list of exciting dates for married couples in your community. Make the list available to couples in your area.
- Ask your clergy to make home visits when they hear of a separation or pending divorce.
- Find out if your local Cooperative Extension Service office teaches marriage education classes. If they do, help promote them. If they don’t, encourage them to begin teaching a class.
- Create marriage strengthening handouts for hospitals and childbirth instructors to give to new parents.
- Contact high schools about adding marriage education to the curriculum.
- Ask your congregation to assign a place to post marriage education material, book lists, websites, etc. and to create a lending library of books and tapes.
* Some ideas adapted from Strengthening Marriages In Your Community: 101 Ideas To Get You Started, Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education.
