On July 17-18, the Clifton Family Church of New Jersey held an Introduction to the Blessing: Level 1 Blessing Workshop for 14 participants ranging in age from 15 to 20. It was the first time the curriculum was presented in a workshop setting in the community.
The “Intro to the Blessing: Level 1 Blessing Education” curriculum is designed for those who want to understand the basics of the Marriage Blessing and how to prepare for it.
The content emphasizes becoming the right person before trying to find the right person. It compares infatuation with true love, dating with matching, and the ideal of the Marriage Blessing with traditional marriage. The curriculum package will be available to the all communities for purchase soon, and the Clifton Family Church was one of the first to test it out.
Andria Rogers, Director of Blessed Family Ministry in Clifton, along with Ramond Burns, Youth Pastor, and Joe Leonard, Young Adult Ministry Leader gave presentations followed by discussion.
With the help of our staff members: Stephanie Eby, Hitomi Suzuki, and Daigo Yamada, we were able to run a successful workshop which not only included presentations and discussions, but various other activities such as sports, arts & crafts, and board games during down time.
Food was provided by Mrs. Yoko Burns, Mrs. Marivic Ibok, and Mrs. Irmgard Baynes who, along with our Clifton Church kitchen staff, cooked delicious meals. Yasutaka Ozawa gave an inspiring testimony on what he is doing in his life as a single person to prepare for the matching and blessing.
Raymond Burns and Stephanie Eby gave a heartfelt and touching testimony on what they each did individually to prepare for the matching, what they wish they had done, and how they came to be matched.
Overall, the workshop was considered a success by all who participated, and we hope that it is only the first of many!
