Held four times a year, these classes rotate among various churches and attract couples from various backgrounds. They are designed to supplement, not replace, the vital role of clergy in preparing couples for marriage. We face a huge task in raising public awareness about the importance of marriage to our community. Grand Rapids and Kent County are already home to strong advocacy groups and coalitions concerned with at-risk children and families, teenage pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, school dropouts, and sexually transmitted diseases. Until the advent of the community marriage policy, however, there had been little public discussion on the causal link between social problems and the marital structure of the homes in which our children are raised.
Nobody talks about it.
So we are using the new marriage policy as a way to begin a public dialogue. To inaugurate the policy, we hosted a luncheon in March 1997 for 300 community leaders and members of the clergy at a downtown hotel. Our guest speaker was Michael McManus. We have also secured broad financial support. We have a decade of work ahead of us.