Roanoke Marriage Enrichment

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=226 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <IMG SRC="045bbad0.gif" border=0 width="187" height="173" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=445 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>The Marriage Alliance of Central Virginia</B></div> <div> <I><B>Building Stronger Families Through Stronger Marriages For A Stronger Community.</B></I></div> <div> |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Marriage Alliance of Central Virgini"><U>Home</U></A>    |    <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News"><U>News</U></A>   |    <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Partners"><U>Partners</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marriage and Relationship Resources"><U>Marriage and Relationship Resources</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Donations"><U>Donate</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Roanoke Marriage Enrichment</B></I></div> <div> "Keeping the home fires burning, one marriage, one family at a time!"  </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Are you married or engaged? The FLAME Marriage Enrichment Program is just for you!</B></I></div> <div>   <IMG SRC="10af6c60.png" border=0 width="246" height="198" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>F</U></B>amily     </div> <div> <B><U>L</U></B>ife</div> <div> <B><U>A</U></B>nd</div> <div> <B><U>M</U></B>arriage</div> <div> <B><U>E</U></B>nrichment</div> <bR> <bR> <div> FLAME is designed to increase understanding between husbands and wives.</div> <div> You are invited to have your marriage positively affected by coming to “Keeping the Flame Alive," a marriage enrichment program hosted by Thomas and Towanda Penn and Samuel and Gail Thompson in Roanoke, Virginia. “FLAME” is designed to support the institution of marriage by involving married couples in monthly group sessions.  Couples are led in an introductory exercise, followed by discussion and couple-time to reflect on the topic of the evening.  The session reconvenes with the opportunity for voluntary sharing and dialogue.</div> <bR> <div> It strengthens and encourages struggling marriages and enhances healthy marriages.</div> <div> FLAME is marriage enrichment, not counseling. Each session is designed to increase husbands and wives understanding of each other, in order to enhance a healthy marriage and encourage and strengthen struggling marriages. Each month, couples learn tools that will make a BIG difference in their marriage. The sessions are free, fun and informative. Your marriage is worth the investment of an evening together devoted to “Keeping the Flame Alive”.  Couples who are seriously engaged (wedding date has been set) are also encouraged to attend.</div> <bR> <div> Custom-designed retreats and workshops that meet your family's needs.</div> <div> FLAME services are designed to minister to the whole family. The FLAME team is available for marriage and family workshops and retreats customized to fit your needs. Training is also available for pastors and lay members interested in effective tools for premarital counseling such as PREPARE/ENRICH.  The team is also experienced in helping churches establish marriage and family ministries.  They are also skilled facilitators who will train lay leaders interested in mentoring married couples. The team focuses on increasing communication skills in families and providing workshops for married couples as well as teens and single adults. </div> <bR> <div> Co-founded by Pastor Thomas Penn and his wife Towanda, as well as Samuel and Gail Thompson.  Together they have over 20 years' experience as certified marriage mentors and counselors.</div> <bR> <div> Monthly sessions are ongoing and free, and all married and seriously engaged couples (who have set a wedding date) are invited! </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="608" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 30 ><NOBR><div> <B><U>What FLAME participants are saying:</U></B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="596"><div> <I><B>"FLAME has been a lifesaver for us."</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="596"><div> <I><B>"We always learn something to help us."</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="596"><div> <I><B>"EVERY couple needs FLAME!"</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>"It's great to be around other couples who are positive about marriage."</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <I><U>Interested in registering?</U></I></div> <div> <I>Call Pastor Thomas and Towanda Penn at 540-342-1669</I></div> <div> <I>Or call Samuel and Gail Thompson at 540-343-6203</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> MEET THE CO-FOUNDERS:</div> <bR> <div> Thomas & Towanda Penn</div> <div> Thomas and Towanda Penn have been married over 30 years.  Thomas serves as pastor of a church in the Salem, Virginia area, where he and Towanda have served faithfully for over 10 years.  They have been trained in several premarital counseling tools and are busy counseling premarital and married couples in several states.  They are the parents of 3 grown children and 8 grandchildren.  Thomas and Towanda have been formally trained to administer the PREPARE/ENRICH inventory for premarital counseling, and are certified to train others in administering the Inventory.  Additionally, they are trained to administer the FOCCUS  inventory and have been trained in PREP, the widely known and used marriage enrichment program.  Thomas and Towanda are accomplished counselors with over 12 years of experience in premarital as well as marital counseling.  Thomas has been a pastor for over 10 years with Towanda working by his side, as they work to disciple their congregation.  They are also trained leader couples with ACME, the Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment where they have been active as marriage enrichment group leaders as well as conference presenters.  The Penns are members of the Marriage Alliance of Central Virginia.</div> <bR> <div> Samuel and Gail Thompson</div> <div> Workshop leaders Samuel and Gail Thompson have been married over 25 years and are the parents of adult twin daughters.  Their unique teaching/counseling ministry for marriage enrichment has been developed through formal training and a combination of over 20 years of counseling experience as former employees with the Department of Social Services, various youth and adult groups, and as counselors in their local church.  Samuel and Gail are trained to administer the PREPARE/ENRICH inventory for premarital counseling as well as FOCCUS and PREP.  They are certified to train couples to become marriage mentors and are listed in the National Mentoring Network. Samuel and Gail also enjoy membership as a leader couple and presenter for the Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment. They are members of First Things First of Greater Richmond, Virginia, the Marriage Alliance of Central Virginia and the American Association of Christian Counselors, and are also recognized as a Cooperating Ministry of the Covenant Marriage Movement.  They are co-founders of “FLAME,” a community based marriage enrichment group.  Samuel and Gail are both ordained ministers and serve on the ministerial staff, and as coordinators of the Marriage Mentoring and Enrichment Ministry, in their local church.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=35 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Send mail to <U>marriagealliance@verizon.net</U> with questions or comments about this web site.</div> <div> Copyright © 2007 The Marriage Alliance of Central Virginia. Website hosting provided by CentralVA.net. Go to <A HREF="http://www.centralva.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.centralva.net"><U><U>www.centralva.net</U></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>