Anyone involved in Couples for Christ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter goravens
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
G

goravens

Guest
I saw someone post about this organization on here and looked up their website. It sounds like a great organization and one that would be very beneficial fo my husband and I. Please tell me about your experiences with this organization, and how we can get involved locally. Thanks!
 
Code: 
Let me start by saying thank you for your time and interest in the Couples for Christ (CFC) Family Ministry.

I grew up and was very active in the Episcopal church.  At the age of 18, I joined the military, put Jesus and my religion in the bottom of my footlocker and went off to conquer the world.  I lost and got consumed by it.  Every once and a while I would open my footlocker to see if Jesus was still there, and he was, then I would close the locker again.

I met a wonderful young Catholic lady who I eventually married.  We did not drift away from the Church, I pulled her away from the Church.  I was of the world and had no need for a suppressive God.  My wife would sneak back to the Church when I was out of the country or too hung over on Sunday morning to care.  

I went on a year tour to Egypt at which time my wife felt the need to join the RCIA program to get re-familiar with the Church.  This was great for her.  While in Egypt, I had the opportunity to go to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve.  It was a wonderful site, but I felt nothing and I knew that was wrong.

After my return to the US, the pain of my marital relationship was getting worst.  My wife had a good relationship with the kids and I did not have a good relationship with any one.  "The reason," I thought. "Is because they are all Catholic and I am not."

I went to RCIA and became Catholic.  This only made matters worst.  Now I knew the Church law and used it against my wife, "AHH, the Pope says this or that."

I was planning to leave for a 6 months military school.  My wife told me she was going to board up the apartment and visit her parents while I was gone.  She had not planned on returning.

I got injured and could not go the school.  While I was recovering, my wife met the Couples for Christ and fell in love with them.  I did not like these people, but if it would help the marriage, I'll give them a chance.

I braced myself because God only knows what she told them.  I entered the seminar to find Spiritually Strong Catholic men and women of God who accepted me as I was.  Over the course of the seminar, the Lord worked on my heart and marriage and relationships.  HE also taught me how to love the Church.



That's my story.
 
The Couples for Christ (CFC) is a ministry intended for the renewal and strengthening of Christian family life. It is an association of Christian couples who have committed themselves to the Lord and to one another, so that they may grow into maturity as men and women of God and fulfill their primary vocation of raising up their families under the lordship of Jesus Christ and for the service of the Kingdom of God. Couples for Christ is a work of Christ which raises up Christian couples and establishes Christian families committed to the work of evangelization and winning the world for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

CFC is recognized by the Catholic Church as a servant and lay arm of the Roman Catholic Church in the work of family renewal and evangelization, and has a number of bishops as its Spiritual Directors. The Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has granted Couples for Christ recognition as a PRIVATE ASSOCIATION OF THE LAY FAITHFUL in accordance to Canons 321-329 of the Code of Canon Law. Furthermore, CFC operates under the auspices of the Family Life and/or Evangelization Offices of parishes and dioceses throughout the world.

CFC is different than other ministries or movements in a number of ways but the most significant are the following:

It fosters deep spiritual renewal which involves personal conversion, developing a personal relationship with Jesus, and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

It focuses on the couple, with emphasis on husband and wife growing together in their Christian lives.

It provides continuing support and formation, recognizing that programs can only plant a seed, but that growth is a long and difficult process.

It concentrates on evangelization, reaching out to more and more couples, in line with the Church’s call for lay people to participate actively in the building of God’s kingdom on earth.

CFC intends to carry out its work for Christian family renewal by focusing on three specific objectives:

Individual renewal. Before one can even consider the whole family, the husband and wife first need to renew their commitment to God. CFC takes the basic message of Christianity and proclaims it anew so that those who hear it can make a renewed commitment to God in a way which will allow them to receive a fuller experience of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Family renewal. As couples renew their commitment to God, they also renew their commitment to one another and to their Christian family life. Gradually, the new life that they find in the Lord filters down to all their family relationships.

Church renewal. As individual families are renewed, they form a network of equally committed Christian families which not only support one another but also strengthen the Church of which they are members.
 
The Couples for Christ Family Ministries has several ministry levels on which the WHOLE family is nurished:

The Parent organization is called
C****ouples for Christ (CFC) which is ministry intended for the renewal and strengthening of Christian family life. It is an association of Christian couples who have committed themselves to the Lord and to one another, so that they may grow into maturity as men and women of God and fulfill their primary vocation of raising up their families under the lordship of Jesus Christ and for the service of the Kingdom of God. Couples for Christ is a work of Christ which raises up Christian couples and establishes Christian families committed to the work of evangelization and winning the world for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. It grows mainly through the establishment of localized units in different parishes.

CFC Kids (KFC) - is a ministry of Couples for Christ designed to assist members parents of Couples for Christ in developing and nurturing Christian values in their children by providing a planned environment that would embody the Couples for Christ culture. It is open to children of ages 4-12.

**CFC Youth (YFC) **- is a ministry of Couples for Christ that is called to evangelize the youths of the world - to make other youths see that knowing the Lord does not happen to older people only, like their parents. Evangelization happens in the same youth context and environment. YFC provides a venue and opportunities which allow its members to be “what they want to be as long as they are Christians”. The fun aspect of being a youth is not taken away from them by the program, but rather is enhanced because they know that they have the best friend of all in the person of Jesus Christ. Age group is 13 - 21.
CFC Singles for Christ (SFC) - is a ministry of Couples for Christ for single people, envisioned to be a support environment for individuals who are already past school and who are in the process of choosing their state of life: marriage or remains single for the Lord. Members are between 22 - 40

**CFC Handmaids of the Lord (HOLD) **- is a ministry of Couples for Christ for single women (specifically single parents, separated, or divorced women, unmarried mature singles), for married women (whose husbands are working abroad, physically incapacitated or not at the moment interested in any religious affiliation) and finally, for widows.

**CFC Servants of the Lord (SOLD) **- is a ministry of Couples for Christ for single men (specifically single parents, separated, or divorced men, unmarried mature singles), for married men (whose wives are working abroad, physically incapacitated or not at the moment interested in any religious affiliation) and finally, for widowers.

But more than a ministry we are a family of believers whose numbers are over 1.4 million members in 121 countries.
 
Thank you very much for your help and all the information! I really appreciate it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top