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Church Holds Lovers' Night to Celebrate Marriage

March 15, 2012

Church Holds Lovers' Night to Celebrate Marriage

A church in Melaka put Focus on the Family Malaysia's (FOFM) resources for Marriage Week International 2012 to good use by holding a "Lovers' Night" on 12 Feb.

 
Preparation of the Church hall for the event

With only two weeks to get things organised, Straits Baptist Church (SBC) Melaka mobilised youths in its congregation to come up with a candlelight dinner complete with romantic decorations, waiters, live entertainment and games. Lovers' Night celebrated the marriages of 15 couples in the church and culminated with a ceremony where each pair renewed their marriage vows.

The vow renewal ceremony was based on a guide produced by FOFM and distributed to churches nationwide via NECF. Additionally, four sermon outlines on the topic of marriage were developed and disseminated for use by churches as part of Marriage Week International. This was a global campaign by the World Evangelical Alliance and was supported in Malaysia by FOFM and NECF.

Youths preparing the food
 

SBC Melaka celebrated marriage by involving all ages in the Lovers' Night. Youths and college students contributed by being the waiters, emcees and in providing live entertainment. The event proved a great opportunity to show the younger generation solid examples of godly and committed marriages. Many youths were touched as they watched the vow renewal ceremony led by the church's senior pastor and his wife.

Marriage Week International which was on 12 Feb may be over, but anytime is a good time to celebrate marriage. If your church still wants to hold a similar event, you can draw some inspiration and fun ideas from SBC Melaka.
 
The identify husband by his nose game
Their youth who helmed the live entertainment for Lovers' Night took pains to transport the married couples back to their dating days by rehearsing and performing love songs from yesteryear. They presented a short skit on The Seven Stages of Marriage showing how couples change in their behaviour towards each other over time. They also organised a hilarious game where wives had to identify their husbands by the nose. The husbands were covered head-to-toe under a cloth with a shoebox over their faces with only a triangle cut out to expose the nose. And there was a competition for the Best-Dressed Couple, Most Romantic Couple and Longest Married Couple.

 

Said some of the couples who participated in SBC Melaka's Lovers' Night:

 

Boon Erik & Elin   "It brought us back to when we joined our lives and the journey we have embarked [on] so far. The night ended with much love for each other and gratitude to our Lord for bring us together!"
- Boon Erik & Elin
"The experience was enriching, especially the renewal of vows. It was a good reminder to be always appreciative of your spouse. We had a great time."
- Sunther & Sharmane
  Sunther & Sharmane
Robert & Phei Hua   "Initially, [the candlelight] dinner was awkward between the two of us as we usually have meals with our children around! I realised that we should not take our spouse for granted and assume that everything about our family is okay... We sometimes have to 'energise' our married life."
- Robert & Phei Hua

 

NECF and FOFM encourage churches to utilise the Marriage Week International resources such as the sermon outlines, PowerPoints and marriage rededication ceremony guide, all available at NECF's website here.

There is also the special edition marriage devotional booklet called Marriage Moments: 52 Great Devotions for Couples selling at RM10 per copy which was specially produced for Marriage Week International. Place your orders with FOFM by calling 03-7954 7920 or emailing focus@family.org.my. Shipping costs may apply.

 

Information for this article was contributed by Straits Baptist Church Melaka.
Photos courtesy of Philip Wei-Yeah Chong



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