Sparrow Ministries Inc

SPARROW MINISTRIES MISSION: TO PREPARE COUPLES TO BEGIN WELL AND COACH COUPLES GENTLY THROUGH THE UNFOLDING, ONGOING ADVENTURE STORY OF THEIR MARRIAGE. SPARROW MINISTRIES OBJECTIVE IS TO SUPPORT ENGAGED COUPLES IN PREPARATION FOR A LIFE SPENT TOGETHER AND SUPPORT MARRIED COUPLES THROUGH THE LIFE STAGES OF THEIR MARRIAGE. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY OFFERING WORKSHOPS FOR LARGE GROUPS, SMALL GROUP MEETINGS OF 5-6 COUPLES OVER A SHORT TERM OF 4-8 WEEKS, COACHING INDIVIDUAL COUPLES ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS, AND TRAINING LEADERS IN LOCAL CHURCHES VIA SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS.

PREMARITAL PREPARATION FOR ENGAGED COUPLES IS PROVIDED BY SPARROW MINISTRIES THROUGH TWO INTERRELATED OFFERINGS. THESE ARE A WORKSHOP AND SMALL GROUP MEETINGS. THE FIRST OFFERING IS A MARRIAGE WORTH PURSUING WORKSHOP WHICH TAKES PLACE OVER TWO DAYS FOR THE PURPOSE OF FOUNDATION BUILDING USING GOD'S ORIGINAL DESIGN FOR MARRIAGE AND COVERS SEVERAL MARRIAGE-RELATED TOPICS SUCH AS COMMUNICATION, FINANCES, IN-LAW RELATIONSHIPS, SEX & SEXUALITY, ETC. IN 2023, THREE WORKSHOPS WERE SCHEDULED, ONE WAS HELD AND TWO WERE CANCELED. A TOTAL OF FOUR COUPLES PARTICIPATED IN THE WORKSHOP THAT WAS HELD IN JUNE. IT REQUIRED 10 PLANNING HOURS, 20 HOURS TO PREPARE FOR THE WORKSHOP, AND 8.5 HOURS TO IMPLEMENT THE WORKSHOP. IN ADDITION TO THE WORKSHOP IS PREMARITAL-FOCUSED SMALL GROUPS WHICH OCCUR OVER A FOUR WEEK PERIOD FOLLOWING THE WORKSHOP INVOLVING FIVE TO SIX COUPLES AND A TRAINED COUPLES COACH WHERE COUPLES CAN EXPLORE AND TALK ABOUT THEIR UPCOMING MARRIAGE IN A SAFE SMALL GROUP ENVIRONMENT. NO SMALL GROUPS WERE HELD IN 2023.

SPARROW MINISTRIES BELIEVES THAT HEALTHY MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES ARE THE HEART AND SOUL OF EVERY CHURCH AND COMMUNITY. WITH THIS IN MIND, SPARROW MINISTRIES WILL PARTNER WITH LOCAL CHURCHES AND ORGANIZATIONS TO BETTER EQUIP, SUPPORT, AND CARE FOR THE MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES IN THEIR CONGREGATIONS. ERICH AND VIRGINIA BECKER OF SPARROW MINISTRIES MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AT CHURCH CONFERENCES, RETREATS, AND OTHER CHURCH VENUES ON TOPICS RELATED TO MARRIAGE AND FAMILY. SPARROW MINISTRIES HAS ITS OWN PACKAGED TOPICS OR CAN CUSTOMIZE FOR THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF THE CHURCH. SPARROW MINISTRIES ALSO OFFERS COACH TRAINING, A PROGRAM TO TRAIN COUPLES SO THAT COUPLES WHO ATTEND SPARROW MINISTRY WORKSHOPS CAN GET FOLLOW-UP AND COACHING AT THEIR HOME CHURCH. IN 2023 SPARROW DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS DUE TO HEALTH CHALLENGES.

MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT FOR COUPLES IS WHERE SPARROW MINISTRIES OFFERS A VARIETY OF EVENTS TO KEEP MARRIAGES STRONG AND GROWING, OR TO ADDRESS ISSUES THAT MAY BE CAUSING A ROUGH PATCH IN THE MARRIAGE. THESE EVENTS AND OFFERINGS CAN BE IN THE FORM OF A WORKSHOP OR A MARRIAGE-FOCUSED SMALL GROUP THAT MAY MEET FOR SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS. A TWO-DAY THRIVING MARRIAGE WORKSHOP IS PLANNED AROUND SEVERAL TOPICS TO BE COVERED: 1. SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SEXUAL INTIMACY; 2. SAFETY; CHARACTERISTICS OF MARRIAGES THAT LAST, ETC. THROUGH A BALANCE OF TEACHING, GENDER-BASED GROUP DISCUSSION, AND COUPLE TIME. OTHER TOPICALLY BASED WORKSHOPS HELD FOR COUPLES ARE SOUL CARE FOR COUPLES, COMMUNICATE TO CONNECT, AS WELL AS BLENDED AND BLESSED. IN 2023 THERE WERE THREE THRIVING MARRIAGE WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED AND HELD IN MARCH, JUNE, AND NOVEMBER MINISTERING TO A TOTAL OF 11 COUPLES. ONE SOUL CARE FOR COUPLES WORKSHOP WAS SCHEDULED BUT CANCELED. THREE COMMUNICATE TO CONNECT WORKSHOPS WERE SCHEDULED AND ALL THREE WERE CANCELED. ONE BLENDED AND BLESSED WORKSHOP WAS SCHEDULED BUT WAS CANCELED. ALL SCHEDULED WORKSHOPS REQUIRED A TOTAL OF 108 HOURS OF PLANNING TIME. FOR THE THREE THAT WERE HELD, IT TOOK 60 HOURS TO PREPARE FOR THE WORKSHOPS, AND 18 HOURS TO IMPLEMENT THE THREE WORKSHOPS. NO MARRIAGE-FOCUSED SMALL GROUPS WERE HELD IN 2023.

SPARROW MINISTRIES ALSO OFFERS COACHING FOR COUPLES WHO HAVE ATTENDED EITHER A PREMARITAL WORKSHOP OR A MARRIAGE WORKSHOP. COACHING IS ALSO OFFERED FOR COUPLES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND WHO HAVE NOT ATTENDED A WORKSHOP. AFTER A PREMARITAL WORKSHOP, PREMARITAL COACHING IS COUPLE TO COUPLE COACHING TO COMPLEMENT THE WORKSHOP WHERE COUPLES ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROCESS THE INFORMATION FROM THE WORKSHOP AND PERSONALIZE THE HELP AND SUPPORT THEY MAY NEED TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP TOWARD MARRIAGE. AFTER A MARRIAGE WORKSHOP, MARRIAGE COACHING CAN HELP A COUPLE BETTER UNDERSTAND THE WORKSHOP MATERIAL RELATIVE TO THEIR PERSONAL STORY AS WELL AS WORK TO RESOLVE ROUGH PATCHES IN THEIR MARRIAGE. IN ADDITION TO THE COACHING THAT RESULTS FROM A WORKSHOP, A COUPLE MAY CONTACT SPARROW MINISTRIES TO MEET WITH A COACH WHO CAN HELP THEM THROUGH AND BEYOND THE ROUGH PATCHES IN MARRIAGE, WHEN HAVING ANOTHER COUPLE TO TALK TO, SHARE WITH, AND PRAY WITH IS REALLY ALL YOU NEED. IN 2023, 49 DIFFERENT COUPLES AND 31 INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED COACHING FOR A TOTAL OF 2203 HOURS OF COACHING TIME. INCLUDED IN THIS TOTAL WAS 4 HOURS OF PLANNING, PREPARING, AND PRAYING.