CHMI News/ Gungor Schedule/Calif Call for Grants/Sacramento Inspiration/ Frustration - 9/14/06

Thu Sep 14 11:00:21 EDT 2006

- MARK GUNGOR/"LAUGH YOUR WAY" SCHEDULE
- CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR MARRIAGE STRENGTHENING FOR CALIFORNIANS ONLY
- SACRAMENTO HEALTHY MARRIAGE PROJECT
- THE FRUSTRATION OF TRYING TO START A COMMUNITY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE
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- MARK GUNGOR/LAUGH YOUR WAY SCHEDULE

Many of you have purchased Mark Gungor's recordings from the Atlanta Smart
Marriages Conference and want more.  Here is the latest schedule for his
2-day Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage Seminar:

> **Schedule:
> Door County, Wisconsin, WI: Sept 15-16
> Jackson, Michigan, MI: Sept 22-23
> Chattanooga, Tennessee, TN: Sept 29-30
> Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, WI: Oct 6-7
> Canal Winchester, Ohio, OH: Oct 13-14
> Las Vegas, Nevada, NV: Oct 20-21
> Weston, Wisconsin, WI: Nov 3-4
> Ft. Wayne, Indiana, IN: Nov 17-18
> CRUISE Jan 6-13
> Attica, Michigan, MI: Jan 19-20
> Madison, Wisconsin, WI: Jan 26-27
> Phoenix, Arizona, AZ: Feb 2-3
> Vancouver, Washington, WA: Feb 16-17
> Guntersville, Alabama, AL: Mar 2-3
> Tulsa, Oklahoma, OK: Mar 9-10
> Brandon, Florida, FL: April 20-21
> Lapeer, Michigan, MI: April 27-28

For info about how to register or to book Mark for your event, contact Laugh
Your Way at: 866-525-2844 or http://www.laughyourway.com
You'll note that he's in Chattanooga the end of this month - a repeat visit.
Julie Baumgardner says Mark is a great headliner for Community Marriage
Events.  - diane 

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- CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR MARRIAGE STRENGTHENING FOR CALIFORNIANS ONLY

The Institute for Contemporary Studies (ICS), in collaboration with its Bay
Area Inner City Leadership Alliance (BAICLA) project, will provide several
capacity-building grants (up to $13,000 each, plus training & technical
assistance), offered by the Compassion Capital Fund of the U.S. Dept. of
Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, to
competitively selected faith-based and/or community-based organizations in
three (3) Northern California counties: Alameda, San Francisco and Contra
Costa to help build their capacity in the area of strengthening marriages
and families. 
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, October 24, 2006.
(Optional RFP Orientation Workshop in Oakland, CA, on Sat., Sept. 30)
For a copy of the RFP guidelines, go to
http://www.icspress.com/request_for_proposal.htm,
or contact ICS at (510) 238-5010 or email Bento at icspress.com

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- SACRAMENTO HEALTHY MARRIAGE PROJECT
I'm on Sacrament's email list and like to forward their updates to you to
share their enthusiasm and creativity in hope it will serve as INSPIRATION
to the rest of you.  It seems like the take so many programs home from Smart
Marriages and immediately get them out to the community!  Bravo to Carolyn
Curtis and her team.  Also am going to share a second email that came in at
the same time as Sacramento's.  It shows how challenging it can be to get
marriage events off the ground.  Please note that Chaplain Svendsen has
never attended a Smart Marriages Conference.  Maybe some of you in his area
that have attended the conference, can help him.  - diane

> As we enter the fall season, the Sacramento Healthy Marriage Project is
> looking forward to new and exciting developments.  We have trainings and
> programs that are being offered this season, designed to encourage learning
> relationship and parenting skills.  We are looking forward to great community
> participation.  The Project spent the month of August organizing and preparing
> for the programs that will be available in these next few months.
>  
> NEWS
> We now have a group of people who are currently working to develop new
> programs for the Healthy Marriage Project for ³Before the Ring,² ³Step
> Families,² ³Separated Couples,² and ³Pregnant Non-married Couples.²  We would
> like to give a special thanks to the following people who are volunteering
> their time to create these new, innovative programs: Cheryl J. Russell, Ann J.
> Burke, Helen Worster, Rob and Cara Lane, Bill Jens, Tomi Tuel, Colene and Fred
> Schlaepfer.
>  
> UP COMING PROGRAMS:
> * The Healthy Marriage Project is  sponsoring two gatherings on September 28,
> 2006 to honor Bill Coffin,  Special Assistant for Marriage Education,  who is
> currently working for the  Administration for Children and Families.  He will
> give a brief talk about the  role our government plays in healthy marriages.
> For the first time, there is someone  in the White House serving to
> orchestrate a cultural change for MARRIAGE.  Bill Coffin is working diligently
> with  various departments within ACF to provide federal funds to help people
> gain  better access to the knowledge and skills to form and sustain a healthy
> marriages.  Previously, he trained  both couples and leaders in the military,
> churches, and communities.
> 1. A Breakfast for faith-based organizations to meet Bill Coffin.  Come join
> us for this unique presentation on September 28th at 9:00 am held at
> Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1300 N Street, Sacramento, 95814.
> 2.  A unique wine and cheese reception for professionals in the community who
> are interested in marriage and healthy relationships will meet with Bill
> Coffin. If you are interested in Marriage Education, please join us for this
> dynamic evening at Colene and Fred Schlaepfer¹s home.
> 3. Contact Carolyn Rich Curtis for either the breakfast or the reception,
> 916-972-9227 or carolyncurtis51 at msn.com <mailto:carolyncurtis51 at msn.com>  to
> register.  
>  
> * Bringing Baby Home is class especially designed for expectant and new
> parents who  want to prepare for life with their new baby.  Discover how to be
> the best parenting  team and couple possible.  The BBH  Workshop teaches
> couples how to strengthen their friendship, increase  intimacy, and regulate
> conflict.   Furthermore, couples learn about child development, how to
> co-parent  with their partner, and how to keep the dad involved.  This
> workshop about the transition into  parenthood is going to be offered twice in
> September and once in October.   One of our September classes is  being
> co-sponsored by Steve Polansky, M.D., making the cost of the class  entirely
> free for parents!  DATES:  September 9 and 16, 2006 and is  currently filled.
> (Usual fee for  class, $250.)  There is  still a chance to participate:  We
> are offering a second class at  Waldorf  School, Fair  Oaks, CA on September
> 30 and  October 7, 2006 and in El  Dorado Hills at GreenValley  Church on
> October 14 and November 4, 2006.  For these classes we will be charging  a
> materials fee for $25   Registration:  Carolyn Rich Curtis, 916-483-7254 or
> carolyncurtis51 at msn.com <mailto:carolyncurtis51 at msn.com>     TELL YOUR
> FRIENDS.
>  
> * PICK A  Partner will be available once in September and once in October.
> Evaluations of this program are incredible.  Discover how to follow your heart
> without losing your mind!  At this workshop, you will learn what you are doing
> while you date. Date: Friday, September 15, 2006 & Saturday September 16, 2006
> Time: Fri. 6:30-9:00 & Sat. 10:00-1:00   Registration: $65 & $75 at the door,
> Students: $30 & $40 at the door
>  
> * Helping Kids Get Smart About Marriage:  This free workshop is for high
> school teachers, and youth workers who want to increase their capacity to
> teach relationship and marriage skills to teens. Space is still available.
> About the Workshop: This dynamic  workshop, Char Kamper and Marline Peason,
> nationally renowned authors of the Connections and Love U2 programs, will
> provide overviews of their curricula;  discuss how to help teens successfully
> learn the skills for healthy relationships and marriages; and guide you
> through the process of teaching  these programs. Dates and  Locations:
> September 21,  2006 8:15 am - 4:00 pm.
>  
> * Training for  Marriage Educators
> Do you want to become a marriage educator? Do you want to provide an in-depth
> marriage education experience for members of your congregation or agency?  You
> do not need to be a licensed clinician to lead this program. Following this
> three-day training program, participants will be approved to teach two
> marriage education programs: Relationship Enhancement and Mastering the Magic
> of Love (Simplified Relationship Enhancement).  Fee for the training is $250
> per person, $400 per couple, and $500 for four people.
>  
> ANNOUNCEMENTS
> Three Churches will be hosting 10 Great Dates this fall. Faith Fellowship
> Church, St Marks Methodist Church, Devine Savior Catholic Church.
>  
> The Project is planning a community-wide Marriage Week, starting February 11,
> 2006.  Please join us with events of your own.  To get ready, we are hosting
> training by Dave and Claudia Arp, authors of 10 Great Dates on January 27,
> 2006 on how to launch a successful Date Night Program for your organization.
> Then, plan to start the 10 Great Dates again this coming spring.  Let¹s take
> advantage of this time to bring people¹s attention to creating the marriage of
> their dreams.  AS A SPECIAL EVENT, that night Dave and Claudia will launch
> everyone who participated in 10 Great Dates (or Not) on DATE 11.

NOTE: Training in every program mentioned above - Van Epp's Pick a Partner,
Gottman's Bringing Baby Home, Pearson's LoveU2, Kamper's Connections, Arps
10 Great Dates, etc will all be offered at the Denver Smart Marriages
Conference.  For example, you can train in Denver and leave a certified
instructor in the 3-day pre-conference "Bringing Baby Home" Program and be
ready to teach it in your CHMI.   - diane

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- THE FRUSTRATION OF TRYING TO START A COMMUNITY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE

How To Have A Better Marriage
by Rev / Chaplain Kent Svendsen

Earlier this year the Forreston Illinois Community Council of Churches made
the decision that we could help our community by developing a program
designed to strengthen marriages. The program covered every issue we could
think of and included many very talented and gifted professionals.  We were
excited about the program and anxiously waited for the registrations to come
in.  The council had agreed to subsidize almost the entire event so families
without financial resources could attend and benefit from this wonderful
event. The registration deadline (September 1st) came and went but to our
dismay the response was so poor that it seemed like the only thing to do was
to cancel the whole event. I announced that intention from my pulpit the
following Sunday morning.

I contacted our main speakers, Mike and Connie Gilbride, to let them know of
the decision.  In response Mike drove eight hours from Sioux Falls, South
Dakota to talk with us and pray with us about it.  Mike was adamant that if
even one marriage could be strengthened it would be worth the time and
energy for them to come to the area. How could I argue with that kind of
dedication. So the event is still taking place on Sat, Sept 23rd.  However,
child care will no longer be provided and there will not be a training
program designed for the youth.

The big question was this: Why, if the issues are so important and the
information could help strengthen marriages and relationships within our
region was the registration so poor?  The responses were interesting. Some
couples said that if they attended the event people would think they had
problems in their marriage. . . . .

Another reason given is the fact that people's schedules are so busy that
they cannot plan or make commitments more than a week in advance. . . .
perhaps there were just so many things to consider that the event was lost
in the shuffle of setting up one's social calendar until it was too late.
Finally, it may just be that one already had too many things to do and just
didn't need to add another one to the list. If any of these things are the
case then simply show up at the event and be bless and also be equipped to
bless others. I hope to see you on September 23rd at the Forreston high
school. 

Reverend Kent Svendsen is the president of the Forreston Community Council
of Churches. He is an ordained minister, certified Christian counselor, and
an Army Reserve chaplain.

As I said when I originally announced Rev Svendsen's seminar on this list
back in March, I encourage those of you trying to get marriage events
started in your community to listen to the community marriage and marketing
sessions from the Smart Marriages conference, so many good ideas and such
generous sharing.  No need to reinvent the wheel.
Check out the sessions at: http://www.smartmarriages.com/organizing.html

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