Conference News & Views

You are invited to attend a one-day workshop, where you learn to administer and interpret the PREPARE/ENRICH Inventories to couples you are counseling. The program was developed by Dr. David H. Olsen, Professor Emeritus of Family Social Sciences at the University of Minnesota. The training will focus on administering and interpreting five couple inventories:

+PREPARE – for premarital couples
+PREPARE-MC – for premarital couples with children
+PREPARE-CC – for cohabiting couples with or without children
+ENRICH – for couples seeking marriage enrichment or counseling
+MATE – for couples over the age of 50 making life transitions

Date: October 21, 2008
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location:
Blakemore United Methodist Church
Nashville, TN 37205
3601 West End Avenue

Cost: $140. Includes training manual
Trainer: The Reverend Tom Carter

Please call or email for registration form and additional information.
Email: tomcarter@juno.com
Phone: 615.665.3117

For additional information go to web site: http://www.prepare-enrich.com/

Quotes from two recent attendees:
“As a pastor, I have found the Prepare/Enrich program to be a wonderful tool that helps me enable couples to walk through a positive process of pre-marital counseling. Through the Prepare/Enrich program, couples are able to discover their strengths as well as possible growth areas before the wedding day. Moreover, the program allows flexibility so that the pastor or counselor can tailor the counseling session specifically for the couple. For me, it is one of the tools I rely on as part of my ministry.”
Reverend Scott Aleridge

“Several couples I counsel are away at school or live in other places. Since our face to face time is so limited, the online evaluation tool can help me focus the time on the specific areas that couples need to explore. The tools will help me know what questions to ask to maximize our time together. It offers a complete counseling package that will make a difference in the couple’s lives as they grow in love with each other.”
Paul E. Gardner,

PREPARE Program Proven Highly Successful

National Study of PREPARE Program with Premarital Couples in Church/Community SettingsThis study evaluated the effectiveness of the PREPARE Program (Version 2000) with 153 premarital couples in three groups: the PREPARE Program Group, the PREPARE No Feedback Group (only took PREPARE Inventory and received no feedback) and the Control Group.

Both of the PREPARE Groups significantly increased their couple satisfaction, while there was no change in the Control Group. Both PREPARE Groups made improvements in several important relationship skills (communication & conflict resolution) and relationship areas (roles, couple closeness & flexibility).

Significant changes were made in the couple types only in the PREPARE Program Group and not the PREPARE No Feedback Group, which demonstrates the value of the six couple exercises and feedback sessions. In the PREPARE Program Group, the number of Vitalized couples (the most satisfied type) increased by 52% from pre to post-test.

Over half (55%) of the three other couple types (Harmonious, Traditional, and Conflicted) increased one or more levels. For the highest risk couples, the Conflicted types, 83% moved to a more positive couple type.

Overall, the PREPARE Program had a significant impact on 90% of the couples and only 10% moved to a lower couple type. Therefore, this study demonstrates that the PREPARE Program is a very useful prevention program for increasing marital satisfaction and reducing divorce.If you would like to examine the Research Report click on the address below:
http://www.prepare-enrich.com/files/Research/aacc_study_2003.pdf

By Dickie Hinton, Conference Director of Camp and Retreat Ministries

In a recent blog, Bishop Sally Dyck of Minnesota makes the following statement about camping ministry:

“The Sunday afternoon and evening following annual conference, I went out to Kingswood camp to teach the "theology" session for our camp counselors. It's great fun, partly because most of them are young adults and I enjoy listening to and interacting with them. Although, two of our camp counselors are retirees (think about that!).I shared my presuppositions about camp:1) Parents send kids to camp for spiritual formation.2) Church camp provides in its 24/7 format the opportunity for more than 1 year of Sunday School impact.3) Over 80% of adults in church today became Christians by or during their teen years.4) 60-85% of those adults made their first commitment to Christ at camp.So, the week of camp is an important one in the life of campers, counselors, our annual conference, and the mission of our church which is to make disciples of Jesus Christ!”

Wow! What a responsibility and better yet, what a tremendous OPPORTUNITY!

Our Tennessee Conference Camp and Retreat Ministries are at an important place in history. We are in the process of re-evaluating our entire structure and we are presently studying the use of our facilities at Cedar Crest. We stand in need of the prayers of our annual conference as we develop program ministries designed with the intention of making disciples of Jesus Christ. We also need your support and your ideas! Please feel free to e-mail your thoughts or your concerns to ccrm@tnumc.org.

If your church needs assistance in any way to plan or execute an event at one of our facilities, if you need new retreat ideas for your church or for groups in your church, or if you need a Sunday morning or Wednesday evening speaker, please feel free to call or e-mail Reverend Dickie Hinton at the Office of Camp and Retreat Ministries. He is available to help with your needs in this important area of ministry.

In the meantime though, we are open for business and we are available for your church or group to utilize our facilities. We have availability at both camps and would love to have you visit us at Cedar Crest or Beersheba Springs Assembly. Reservations can be made for both camps by calling the Office of Camp and Retreat Ministries at (931)692-3669. Our address is: P.O. Box 577, Beersheba Springs, TN 37305 and our e-mail is: ccrm@tnumc.org.

Hope to see you on the Beersheba mountain or in the Cedar Crest woods by the lake!