On the weekend of Aug. 20 and 21, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, congregation had its first marriage seminar. Sabbath services for the 11 couples in attendance were held at the Holiday Inn Express in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Russ DeVilbiss gave the morning sermon. After a lunch break, the conference began promptly at 12:15. It was conducted by Frank McCrady III, pastor of the Dayton and Cincinnati North, Ohio , congregations. The theme of the workshops was "God's Plan for Intimacy."

From the very beginning, God created the institution of marriage, thus making it divine. We discussed oneness—oneness of spirit, oneness of soul and oneness of body. The health of a good marriage was compared to the circulatory system—when the blood is flowing smoothly, it reaches all parts of the body. But should the flow (compared to communication within a marriage) become disrupted, then the parts of the body not receiving proper flow have a danger of simply dying off.

Several exercises were done where each couple reviewed how well they felt they communicated with their partner. Scores were marked and then compared with the other partner to see if he or she concurred or not. What was concluded was that often the woman prioritizes things of importance quite differently from the man. By making partners aware of what is important to each other, the couple can begin to further improve their marriage and meet the needs of the other person.

Marriage "staff meetings" were encouraged so that each partner knows what the other is dealing with—whether it be discussing hopes and dreams or in child rearing, for example. Part of these meetings can certainly deal with the area of appreciation—what the mate does that pleases you.

Another intriguing exercise was filling out a page titled, "Marriage Intimacy Inventory."

Other topics discussed and worked on had to do with one's emotional capacity—illustrated by an overflowing cup. If the stresses of life continue to pour into the person, they can overflow and result in negative results, such as sleep disturbances, escaping into work, drugs, becoming depressed, etc.

Then there were tools provided to help us empty our emotional cups via godly principles. This was referred to as healing emotional hurts.

There were two days of these workshops—Sabbath afternoon and Sunday until 2 in the afternoon.

On Saturday evening the couples ate dinner at Alioto's Restaurant in Wauwatosa.

On Sunday afternoon Mrs. McCrady gave the final presentation on the deadly habits of relationships—what to avoid and how to identify it.

We wish to extend our gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. McCrady for taking the time and effort to come all the way out here. A special thanks goes to Russ and Tammy DeVilbiss for having made all the arrangements in coordinating this valuable and informative workshop.