The Eight Dates Marriage Program
Presented by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco
Family Wellness Ministry and the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries
The Family Wellness Ministry and the Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco announce their plan to host ten 75-minute marriage sessions bi-monthly on Thursday nights, starting on Thursday, October 15.
The program will run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. PST, and will feature topics from the popular lifestyle book Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love (Workman, 2019) by award-winning authors and psychologists Drs. John and Julie Gottman, and bestselling authors Doug Abrams and Rachel Carlton Abrams, MD.
Each session will be facilitated by members of the Family Wellness Ministry, and are carefully designed to engage couples in essential conversation on a topic of importance within their marriages: trust and commitment; addressing conflict; sex and intimacy; work and money; family; fun and adventure; growth and spirituality; hopes and dreams. These are uncertain, unprecedented times, and the goal is to give couples eight fulfilling, enlightening, and spiritually nurturing dates for improved communication and connection.
“The authors of this book have distilled 40+ years of marriage research into 8 essential conversations that are the hallmark of thriving relationships. They give us the tools to structure these conversations and to enjoy a lifetime of discovery about the person we married. We cannot wait to share this with the couples of our Metropolis,” shared Presvytera Donna Pappas from the Family Wellness Ministry team.
The Eight Dates Marriage Program promises to be a balance of vibrant content, integration of our Orthodox faith, and an opportunity for small group discussion catered specifically to the varied needs young married couples face on a daily basis. Participating couples will be given weekly thought-exercise and intimacy boosters to complete together for additional value outside the scheduled meetings. Ultimately each couple should come away with the resources necessary for strengthened commitment to one another, as well as an expanded Metropolis community of supportive peers in the process.
WHEN: Bi-Monthly starting October 15 through February 18.
WHERE: Via Zoom: Thursdays 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. PST
WHO: Orthodox Christian Young Married Couples
HOW: Interested couples are asked to visit the Family Wellness Ministry website to pre-register
and for detailed information:
Check out the Eight Dates promo video: https://youtu.be/41SyP6DKawM