Relationship Central held a conference in Slovakia in early March for those across Central Europe interested in running The Marriage Course, The Parenting Children Course and The Parenting Teenagers Course. Over 150 delegates came from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland.

Nicky and Sila Lee, the main conference speakers, spoke on the vision of Relationship Central and interviewed couples who had done or led The Marriage Course. Nicky and Sila also led the training for The Parenting Courses, whilst Peter and Gabi Stupak, National Coordinators for Relationship Central in Slovakia, led the training for The Marriage Course. One couple from Bratislava, Pavol and Bibiana, said, ‘The courses gave us as parents new hope and new vision on our own relationship and friendship with our children. The courses strengthened also our desire to share these things with other couples and families.’

Over 22 Catholic Priests attended the conference and many brought teams from their Parishes who are passionate about supporting families in their communities. Celebrating Mass together during the lunch break was a conference highlight. During the model sessions, the Priests attended a separate stream where they heard more about the principles behind the courses and had time to discuss the opportunities and challenges they, as leaders, face in this area of ministry.

The Maranatha Community in Presov, Slovakia were superb conference hosts with many volunteers from the community coming together to organise a smooth and enjoyable event.

The Parenting Children Course and The Parenting Teenagers Course have been translated into Slovakian and will be published by May 2012. As in many other European countries and regions throughout the world there is an urgent need in Central Europe for practical support for those bringing up children. We hope that having the course resources available in Slovakian will play a crucial role in meeting that need. We look forward to hearing of new courses starting up across the region.

For more information on Relationship Central in Slovakia please contact Henika.

For information on Relationship Central in other parts of Europe please contact us.