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Supporting, Encouraging, and Challenging the WWME Community

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WWME Community on Fire!!

David & Jane Dewald

This spring, the Community Pillar of WWME initiated the “Great Community Search” to identify some truly stellar areas and/or sharing groups throughout our country. We were inspired reading nominations that came in from many sections in the United States. There were so many outstanding entries that it was impossible to narrow it down to just one winner. We decided to feature a “Great Community” per month in eMatrimony. The first community to be featured is Detroit, Michigan in Section 6. Under the leadership of David & Jane Dewald and Fr. Edmond DesForge they are changing the world! If you would like to contact them to ask questions or get advice, their email address is .

In the Detroit Area, the WWME Community is ablaze with LOVE!

Everywhere in our community love is overflowing to couples who have already experienced the awesome Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends and to those who have yet to be so blessed. There are 13 active sharing groups that we call WEDS groups. Each of these groups is comprised of loving couples who work hard to not only support each other in their dialogue, but who are active in spreading the message about WWME to their local churches and communities.

In April 2004, Jerry & Fran Ashe were instrumental in bringing the Build-it Workshop to our Area. This one day Workshop left our community feeling empowered to go out and change the world one couple at a time. After this workshop, our inviting coordinators sent home flyers about the Weekend with many Catholic school children in our Area. Groups of couples got together to make “Pulpit Pals”, (portable folding display boards that promote the Weekend and include pockets for tri-fold brochures). These can be placed by the exits or gathering areas of a parish. With the help of Richard & Janet Schnur we began to use a service called jblast!, that allows us to fax WWME announcements to numerous parishes each week. These faxes have worked wonders in increasing our numbers for the WWME Weekends. We went from a community with many canceled Weekends to a community that Encountered over 200 couples and 3 priests in a one year period!

After each Weekend, our Area hosts a Post Encounter Session for our newly encountered couples. This is a 4 session review of the Weekend that allows these couples to more fully understand and practice the things they’ve learned on the Weekend. These sessions also allow the couples to comfortably bridge with their local sharing groups. We have some amazing Post Encounter couples who host these groups in their homes or local churches.

In 2005, one WEDS group challenged the other groups to a pulpit talk blitz. The goal was to spread the word about Marriage Encounter Weekends to as many Catholic couples as possible by giving pulpit talks. The winning WEDS group, the Downriver Lovebirds, presented pulpit talks at 6 different Catholic churches. Glenn & Michelle Nowak were the drive behind this exciting challenge.

Some of the Downriver Lovebirds: Dan & Joyce Hurley, Gary & Mary Anne Davis, David & Jane Dewald, Jerry & Judy Wojtkowiak, Bill & Pam Walsh and Fr. Rick Macey. Not pictured: Sandy & Lou Zomparelli, Glenn & Michelle Nowak, Paul & Mary Anne Kolaz, Eloy & Martha Vasquez, and Jerry & Theresa Sheehan.

Also in 2005, one of our couples Jean & Larry Larson made the decision to donate their personal camper to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They invited everyone in the Community to donate bedding, clothing etc. to fill the Camper before they left. It was filled to capacity when they left for Louisiana. We are truly blessed to have such couples in our midst.

In 2006, the WEDS groups are challenging each other to see which group can get the most couples to attend a WWME Weekend We also will be holding an Anniversary Weekend in September.

There are many annual events in our community. All of them include a generous supply of smiles and those wonderful WWME hugs! Our year started with our “Little Christmas” Dinner Dance. World Marriage Day was celebrated in February with a Dinner Dance and presentation co-hosted by WWME, National Marriage Encounter, and Retrouvaille.

March was Rally time this year. Our Rally is a fun way to bring all the community together to enjoy fellowship, dialogue and an opportunity to sign up for all the little “joys” that keep our Weekends and community going strong. We have “booths” for inviting, community events, hosting/cleaning for the Weekends, a 90 day Dialogue Challenge, Communications such as our website www.rc.net/detroit/wwme (check us out!) and newsletter. After dialoguing, we broke into small groups for a 60 second pulpit talk challenge. Each group had 1 minute to convince us why we really need a WWME Weekend. The room was filled with laughter and we all went home with some great inviting ideas.

April brought many tears this year as we said our final goodbyes to Fr. Al Blonigen who passed away March 27th from blood clots in the lungs. But even in the environment of the funeral home, the embers of our WWME love burned brightly as many stepped forward to share the impact that this awesome WWME priest had on their marriages.

The month of May gave us an inspiring Community Night with a presentation by Mike & Kim Potter about Mothers and Fathers. This June, many of our WWME couples and their families will go camping together over Father’s Day weekend. Activities will include crafts, swimming, Pot Luck Supper, Mass, and Family Dialogue around the camp fire.

July is Convention Month. Many of you know us by our t-shirts with the Flames on them (we told you we’re on fire)! We’ve been known to be a bit loud at conventions! We just love being together with our WWME family. August is time for our annual couples golf outing. Skill is not important for this one, just knowing how to have a good time with other WWME couples.

September is World Priest Day. We hold a special dinner for our community members and their priests. Each couple may invite as many priests as they want. No one goes home hungry. We love our priests!

Glenn & Michelle Nowak, Fr. Rick Macey, and Bill & Pam Walsh at their WPD celebration.

Each year our area holds a Day of Romance, on Sweetest Day. This is a well attend enrichment open to all encountered couples. Last year our theme was the 5 Languages of Love. We ended the day by attending Mass together.

December gives us all a chance to join together as families for our annual Christmas Mass and Milk & Cookies Social. We thank God for the gift of His son Jesus, and for our beloved WWME community. We recognize all of our WEDS group leaders, 3 Prayer Couple Coordinators, Financial Couple, Newsletter Couple, 2 Inviting Coordinators, 2 Registration Couples, and many more. After Mass, we enjoy homemade cookies & milk with those we have been blessed to journey with.

The WWME Community in Detroit may be on fire, but PLEASE don’t put us out! With the help of the Holy Spirit, we plan to keep burning brightly for many years to come! We’re going places with God in the driver’s seat!

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