Saturday, May 16, 1998
Celebration of marriage ceremony to be offered
By LORETTA FULTON / Abilene Reporter-News
A simple celebration of marriage at a local church was so successful
that the creators have decided to offer it to the larger community.
"Focus on Marriage" was the brainchild of Rusty McLen,
counselor at Hillcrest Church of Christ. Each Wednesday in April
couples shared "evenings of encouragement" with testimonies
at the church.
The event culminated with a reception after church the last
Sunday in April and couples brought memorabilia from their years
of marriage for table decorations.
"We wanted to say something positive about marriage,"
said Dwight Robarts, minister.
The honorees were couples who have been married from 1 to 65
years, in increments of five years. On the final Sunday, 47 couples
were honored, and some renewed their marriage vows.
"It's one of the best things we've done in a long time,"
Robarts said.
So good, in fact, that the church will sponsor the same celebration
for the community at large next fall.
The idea came about because of the high divorce rate, Robarts
said. Students at Abilene Christian University, where Robarts
teaches a class, have expressed concerns about marriage, he said,
and the emphasis on happy, long-term marriages came out of those
negative perceptions.
"It was basically a positive statement that marriage is
a good thing," he said.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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