Sparrow Ministries Inc

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 addition to workshops, topically based marriage enrichment seminars in the form of small group meetings over several weeks are offered. In 2024 there were three Thriving Marriage workshops scheduled, one Soul Care for Couples workshop was scheduled, two Communicate to Connect workshops were scheduled, and one Blended and Blessed workshop was scheduled. Due to lack of participation, all seven workshops were cancelled. All scheduled workshops required a total of 99 hours of planning and preparation time as there was an expectation of adequate participation. Two 6-week marriage enrichment seminars were held in 2024. Planning and preparation were minimal. A total of 18 couples participated.

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 2024, 58 different couples and 39 individuals received Coaching for a total of 3,302 hours of coaching time. Included in this total was 4 hours of planning, preparing, and praying.

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 2024 Sparrow participated in one speaking engagement at Heartland Church in Freeland, Maryland.