Marriage and Family

The World Evangelical Alliance (www.worldea.org) and Marriage Week International (www.marriage-weekinternational.com) have designated Sunday, February 12, 2012, as a day for the global church to come together in celebrating and encouraging marriage. Geoff Tunnicliffe, Secretary General of WEA, said, "we encourage our Evangelical Alliance members around the world to seize this opportunity to promote and strengthen marriage in their local churches, nations and regions." Richard Kane, CEO of Marriage Week International, said "This represents a global response to a global problem - the undermining of the sanctity of marriage. "Let's use this opportunity to reach out into society and send a positive Marriage Week message about celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of marriage as the basis for family life." A few ideas on how National Alliances can encourage local churches to celebrate Marriage Week: - Organize an event for married or future couples. (ex. Recreational Outing, Movies, Dancing or any other activity that highlights marriage) - Deliver a Sunday sermon with the passages from Scripture relevant to the sacredness of marriage - Watch Marriage Week video (now on www.marriage-weekinternational.com) - Hold a workshop with the Marriage Week materials from a nation with your language (see Read More...

New Zealand Christian Network is gearing up to promote and celebrate National Marriage Week, 12-19 February 2012. Many Western countries already celebrate Marriage Week, and groups in this country, including NZ Christian Network, believe it would be good to raise its profile here.

The World Evangelical Alliance and Marriage Week International have joined in a new partnership to promote marriage around the world. Marriage Week is an annual focus week which was founded by Richard and Maria Kane in 1997 to celebrate everything that is good about marriage, promoting the simple message, "if you are fortunate enough to be in a marriage - you should look after it". The focus week has now spread around the world, attracting broad support from Church, politicians and media. Countries across Europe from Ukraine to Ireland, Australia and the US all host their own Marriage Weeks, and are part of Marriage Week International. The WEA and Marriage Week International have designated Sunday, February 12, 2012, as a day for the global church to come together in celebrating and encouraging marriage. As such, the WEA is encouraging its global membership to mark the day together by holding events such as marriage recommitment ceremonies in their churches or using their Sunday church sermons to highlight marriage. The WEA and Marriage Week International will also work together in the production of a global broadcast on marriage on February 12, 2012. Mr Kane, President of Marriage Week International said: "Marriage is an area where the church can make a profound difference in the lives of people and in the life of the communities so that they can flourish and thrive." Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, Chief Executive Officer of the World Evangelical Alliance, said: "World Evangelical...

New Zealand Christian Network supports the government awarding of the parenting Toolbox resource contract to Parents Inc. The $2.4 million contract for the programme - in which parents of children from birth to 18 take a course that comes in a "tool box" - was contained in last week's Budget, but has attracted criticism because the contract was not put out to tender. "Anyone who looks at this course would see immediately there is nothing else like it in New Zealand," said NZ Christian Network's National Director Glyn Carpenter. "Furthermore, Parents Inc as an organisation is also unique in this country. In fact, there's not many organisations like it in the world." Mr Carpenter said that Parents Inc has built up a long track record of quality programmes based on Judeo-Christian values, and thousands of families have benefited from their work. "In light of the recent OECD report and comments from the Children's Commissioner about the challenges faced by children who are not in two-parent homes, quality parenting training is clearly needed - and it's needed now." Mr Carpenter said while an open tender process may be more usual, it appears that proper process was followed in awarding the contract. "The special nature of the Toolbox programme and the urgency of the situation for many New Zealand families, means the sooner it gets rolled out through the country the better," said Mr Carpenter.

Reports that one Kiwi child in four is growing up in a single-parent home (Dominion Post 30 April) make for grim reading. Based on a study which shows New Zealand's rate to be the third highest in the OECD, the article also reports Children's Commissioner John Angus saying that Kiwi children were four times more likely to be living under the poverty line if they were being raised by a single parent. NZ Christian Network National Director Glyn Carpenter said this is not so much the fault of individual parents involved, as a failure of our whole society to recognise the importance of marriage and do the simple things necessary to support it. "We know that many people in single-parent homes do not choose that situation. "But when there is anecdotal evidence of high-school teachers responsible for teaching sex and relationships classes saying it is inappropriate to talk about marriage, it's easy to see how the importance of marriage in society is undermined. "When you compound this by a lack of adequate preparation for marriage, unrealistic expectations, and the fact that many people are not connected to a church, which can provide experience and a supportive community, it's no wonder we have the situation we do. "The Ministry of Education needs to clarify the situation, and ensure that curriculum guidelines include the discussion of marriage, so our young people can make informed choices. "With the best will in the world marriages can still fail," said Carpenter. "But many...

Timely Resources for Marriage Saturday, April 30, 2011 Many of the larger and smaller churches are already planning for the next year’s sermons and church activities. Accordingly, whether you are clergy or lay people involved in your church, we are requesting whenever you start planning for next year that If you are clergy, you will give a sermon on marriage on February 12th, the Sunday before Valentine's Day. We also ask you to list your marriage courses on www.nationalmarriageweekusa.org If you are a lay person, would you ask your clergy to do the above Regarding the Royal Wedding, we have linked to: a recent op-ed by BJ Weber and Sheila Weber on marriage; as well as the sermon by the Bishop of London from the Royal Wedding. What a brilliant opening: "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves. Many are full of fear for the future of the prospects of our world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations because this...

National Marriage Week USA responds to TIME Magazine cover NEW YORK, N.Y. The cover story of TIME Magazine on 29 November, "Who Needs Marriage? A Changing Institution," accurately describes the collapse of marriage in America. It concludes that despite the failure of Prince William's parents' marriage, not all the traditions and values of marriage are obsolete, as indicated by public excitement for his own forthcoming union. Yet, TIME Magazine did not cover the repercussions and crises which emanate from the increasing collapse of marriage among the general public, or what can be done to strengthen marriage in America, claims Let's Strengthen Marriage Campaign and National Marriage Week USA officials. (www.nationalmarriageweekUSA.org) First, the American people need to understand the depth of the crisis. "If we allow marriage to collapse the way it has in many parts of Europe, we will lose our free enterprise economy because the state will end up having to pick up the cost of broken families that are not taking care of their own, particularly in old age," said Chuck Stetson, private equity businessman and CEO of the Let's Strengthen Marriage Campaign. The loss of marriage leads to a diminished reproduction rate, furthering the economic crisis in times to come," explained Stetson. In Italy, for example, where the reproduction rate is 1.3, this means that in the next generation there will be one-half...

visionnetwork supports Family First's call for a nationwide debate on promoting marriage as a result of its recently released report "21 Reasons Why Marriage Matters", which documents the psychological, social, economic and health benefits of marriage. "It is time that government policies and rhetoric acknowledged that there is a difference in terms of outcomes between marriage and other forms of relationship," said Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. Read more... "Family breakdown and decreasing marriage rates are seldom considered in debate on social policy issues, such as poverty among families with children. A recent 70-page report issued by the Children's Commissioner and Barnardos contained no reference to marriage or divorce, despite the rate of poverty being five times higher for sole parent families. "Whenever marriage is promoted, it has often been labeled as an attack on solo or divorced parents, and that has kept us from recognising the qualitative benefits of marriage which have been discovered from decades of research. "Marriage has changed a great deal, with the marriage rate at approximately 14 marriages per 1000 married adults, less than a third of the peak level of 45.5 per 1000 recorded in 1971. It has been impacted over the past decades by an increased level and acceptance of divorce, cohabiting, and unwed childbearing." New Zealand has a high teenage birth rate, and sole parents with dependent children make up 30 per cent of families...

A few weeks ago Glyn Carpenter plugged parenting courses and Parenting Inc on Michael Law's talkback show on Radio Live and made a huge commitment on behalf of churches around the country. In the face of scepticism from the show's host at the number of people who have done Parenting Inc courses, Glyn suggested that if people had difficulty attending such events, churches could be happy to babysit, child-mind or perhaps even fund parents to attend the courses. Click on the bar below for audio of the interview. JavaScript is disabled!To display this content, you need a JavaScript capable browser.Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

This is the question New Zealanders will be asked in the referendum that will be held at the end of July.

Visionnetwork National Director Glyn Carpenter says he is surprised so many people are having difficulty with what is a very simple and straightforward question.

"Yes means you think a smack that is administered as part of good parental correction should be a criminal offence. No means you think a smack should not be a criminal offence. People are trying to make it more complicated than it is," is Mr Carpenter's comment.
He is also disappointed that the issue of the $9-10 million cost of the referendum is being used as an argument against those who have worked to bring about the referendum. "There are debates going on about good parenting and violence against children that are extremely important and worthwhile," Mr Carpenter continued. But there are other issues we also need to keep in mind, such as fairness, integrity, and freedom of speech. Those who opposed the so-called "anti-smacking" law are entitled to their view and to express it. In a democracy, they also have a right, some would even say a duty, to challenge a government that passes a law contrary to the will of 80-90 per cent of the people if the polls are to be believed.

As we have said before, constitutionally and legally the New Zealand Government can pass laws contrary to the majority of the people. But the spirit of democracy is undermined in the process. New Zealanders...