Thank you for your interest in the Alpha Marriage Course being run by Devonport Church of
Christ. Here, we will quickly run you through the course, how it will be run, and a few other
details. At the end, there is the opportunity for you to register for the course.

There are seven sessions in the course:
1. Strengthening Connection
2. The Art of Communication
3. Resolving Conflict
4. The Power of Forgiveness
5. The Impact of Family
6. Good Sex
7. Love in Action.

For those of you that are involved in Church leadership roles, we will also run an eighth
session called Marriage and Ministry once the seven sessions above are completed.
Each session of the course consists of a video presentation by the creators of the course –
Nicky and Sila Lee – interspersed with what are called ‘Conversations’, where you are given from 5 to 30 minutes to talk privately through the concepts presented by Nicky and Sila within the context of your own marriage.

Each couple is provided with two copies of The Marriage Course Journal which contains an overview of Nicky and Sila’s presentations, while allowing each person to make notes and undertake the ‘Conversation’ exercises. It is designed so that you can reflect on each other’s comments and dream together about your future. But importantly, you won’t be asked to discuss anything about your relationship with anyone else.
While the Course has been constructed within the context of Christian marriage, it is not overly ‘religious’. There are some Bible verses in the journal, and Nicky and Sila offer a prayer from time to time, but the course content is relevant to people at all levels of faith.

How we will run the course
The course will commence in the week starting July 21 on either a Monday or Thursday in
the timeslot 7.00 pm to approximately 9.00 pm. We will select the day (either Monday or
Thursday) based on what suits most of the couples registering.
The session each week will be hosted by Noel and Gayle Vock, and Steve and Karen
Fitzallen. When you register for the course, we will send you a profile on all of us and how
we came to be involved in running this course.
The last session (Session 7) will be delivered in the week commencing September 1.
Each week, a link to the Session will be emailed to you on the morning prior to the evening
Session. When you are admitted to the online meeting via a videoconferencing platform
from about 6.55 pm on the night, we as hosts will provide a brief overview of the Session,
and then run the video until completion. At the end, we as hosts will return to close out the
session and try to answer any questions you may have.
This means you do the course in private in the comfort of your own home, but with us to
help and support you if required. You will need an internet connection and a computer or
smart TV. Let us know if you have any problems with any of these. We will run a short
demonstration of how it all works in the week preceding the first session.
If for any reason you miss a Session (for example, being away or unwell etc), we will send
you the video for that Session so that you can view it and work through the ‘Conversations’
at your leisure.
PLEASE NOTE: If Monday or Thursday evenings do not suit you, we can still offer you the
course in an ‘unhosted’ format, meaning that you will receive the video each week to
undertake the course in a timeslot that suits you. Please indicate this when you register.

Course Cost
The course costs $50 per couple, mainly to cover the cost of the Journals. However, if the
cost is an issue for you, let us know and we will cover it for you.
Further information
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact the Course Coordinator – Noel Vock on nvock@bigpond.net.au or phone or text 0412 119 048.