Reunion Married Couples Retreat 2017
34 Married Couples Descended on the picturesque Hellidon Lakes Hotel located in the beautiful Daventry countryside for an action packed weekend of learning, romance & fun. Find out how the weekend went.
24th – 26th of March 2017, Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Resort, Daventry.
Here is what you missed 🙂
Planning & Preparation
(Late 2016)
The theme for 2017 was to be ‘Oneness’ based on 1 Corinthians 10 verse 17. Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. To serve the purpose of the couples retreat, the theme was paraphrased as, Do the Math, 1 +1=? , starting on the covenant that a couple gets into when they get married and how the two become one flesh. We felt as a leadership that God wanted us to go back to the drawing board as couples and remind each other what it meant to be in a covenant and to be one flesh.
The oneness also extended to the family unit and into the family camp that took place later on in 2017.
Dates were set and ‘One + One, You Do The Math’ was born.
Leading Up To The Retreat
Anticipation for the couples retreat was intense. Promotional flyers that highlighted the theme 1+1=? and hinted on the programme for the weekend were shared with the community & beyond.
Day 1 – Friday Evening
(The Covenant)
The anticipation was justified as from the onset the stage was set for a spectacular retreat. Friday saw us host and attend a mock wedding ceremony that enabled all couples to re-live the commitment that they made to each other many years ago. It as surely a trip down memory lane:)
The session was centred around the covenant, showing how the journey of oneness began.
Day 2 – Saturday
It was delightful sunny spring morning in the central Northamptonshire countryside. The scene was set. Day two of the 2017 couples retreat was just about to get underway. As couples entered the main conference room, many were intrigued as the room was setup in a talk show layout. What was about to take place many didn’t expect.
(Session 1: Marriage & Finance)
Once all couples had arrived from a lovely breakfast, day 2 commenced with a session on finances within marriage. This session was setup in the format of a talk show. Prior to the event, 2 couples (in attendance on the day) had secretly volunteered to act out real-life scenarios (as if the situations were real to them) that demonstrated the issues faced by many couples around Oneness & household finances. Whilst the actors remained in character the remaining 34 couples were asked to help the two couples find a way to becoming one. The engagement was extremely high as the session evoked deep-rooted feelings, informative advice and insightful comments from a passionate room of conference participants. The entire session made most reflect on the state of finances in their own homes and allowed subjects not often discussed in most marriages (around finances) to be openly discussed and amicable resolutions found.
(Guest Speaker & Games)
We also invited a guest speaker, Kafeel to come and speak about estate planning, an area we felt as a leadership would benefit most couples. His presentation was extremely informative and a good number of couples followed up with him to learn more.
In between, there were interactive games that allowed us to relax and connect with other couples.
(Session 2: Sex & Intimacy)
For the first hour of session 2, couples were split into groups, each group heard from couples who were sharing their views on intimacy in their personal marriages, discussing what was working or them and hosting open discussions of common reasons for conflict within marriage around this subject. All couples learnt the importance of understanding each other’s love languages and the importance feeding each other’s language.
In the last part of the session, Couples were asked to get together and set some new resolutions based on what has been shared and discussed.
Day 3 – Sunday
(Anonymous Questions & Answers Section)
The long-running and most loved anonymous question and answer session allowed for couples burning issues to be addressed anonymously.
Here is how it worked. Throughout the retreat, couples had been asked to write down their most burning issues on a small note. The small notes were added into a box anonymously prior to the session. Once the session began, questions were pulled out and read out loud for all attendees to contribute and share their thoughts on the burning issue presented. This session went on for a few hours culminating in a summary of all suggestions shared.
(Update from the Charity Desk)
The Sunday session also made way for Reunion to share videos from some of the recipients currently being supported by Reunion Ministries in Zimbabwe. Their stores were heartfelt and helped all in attendance appreciate how their charitable contributions are impacting the lives of some of the young people currently benefiting from the programme.
(Retreat Roundup)
The last session of the day comprised of a roundup of the weekend’s activities intertwined with hilarious thought-provoking jokes from a duo of resident comedians. The entire conference room rocked with gales of laughter combined with moments of sheer elation.
Overall the conference had been a hit. The reviews were raving!
(A Powerful Teaching On Oneness)
Hear What Some Couple Had To Say During Our Surveys
“We didn’t feel spoken to and we felt like we could not only contribute but learn in an environment that was free and not convicting.”
“What makes me smile about this camp is the openness and the conducive environment that helps facilitate discussion to help us improve our marriages:”
“Being real and not being judged having a laugh”
“Everyone was very welcoming and helpful”
“All the teachings, the love we received as it was our first time, it was good to meet new couples, we feel we are now a family”
“The forum to be able to bounce ideas off each other with a peer group who are experiencing the same challenges and learning from a combined experience. Most importantly this is all from a Christian perspective”
“I enjoyed the fellowship and non-threatening approach to the teaching”
“This was our first Reunion retreat. We absolutely loved it and would like to thank you all for allowing us to join you. We have learnt so much and will be changing things around in our marriage.”