eMatrimony.org

Supporting, Encouraging, and Challenging the WWME Community

  News - Section/Local

WWME Great Community, September 2006

Nick & Tricia Weis

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. This month’s stellar community is Aurora, Illinois, led by Nick & Tricia Weis tnweis@aol.com . Their enthusiastic description of their sharing group follows:

The Aurora Marriage Encounter community is a dynamic group of married couples who are wholeheartedly committed to living out God’s plan for married love and continuing the mission of Worldwide Marriage Encounter. We have members within our community who have been Encountered just over a year and others who were Encountered over 27 years ago. Many of our couples have accepted leadership positions that go beyond the Aurora Community. We have been fortunate to have several presenting teams, an Area executive couple, a finance couple, Area reservations couple, Area Web couple, Sectional Web couple, and eSpirit/Newsletter editors. We presently have a team priest, Father Lou, who is part of our community and attends our meetings on a regular basis. We are also blessed to have a deaconate couple that brings support, knowledge, and faith to our super group.

We are also an ecumenical community! Members of this community have helped non-Catholic WWME communities in getting the message out. We created and are maintaining the website for the Chicago Area Lutheran WWME. Our community incorporates a number of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds.

The Aurora Community brought “Love Circles” to the Rockford Diocese back in 1985 and we have been doing them ever since. In fact, our last Love Circle (aka Love Spiral) was completed late last year. Along with our own Love Circles, members of our community have helped lead Love Circles in surrounding communities and have assisted other communities in starting their own.

Our community is focused on living the dream, to be sure, but we don’t forget about family and fun. We have events ranging from “Christmas Tree Hunts”, wine and cheese parties, and picnics to swim parties and sponsoring events at our minor league baseball team. This year is no exception. We have a July picnic planned for families that will incorporate games, food, and a bunch of family fun. And our annual wine and cheese party is scheduled for August.

Our Community is very much dedicated to growing our group of married couples. We have romantic “inviting dinners” every so often. This past year our community leaders, Nick and Tricia Weis, sent out over 70 inviting letters spreading the WWME message and offered an evening for couples to come and witness what Marriage Encounter is all about. Three couples from our community offered time to speak about WWME. At one of these dinners, we even had two violinists serenade the diners. At another, we had a young classical guitarist provide the romantic music.

Besides spreading the WWME message, the Aurora Community truly makes an effort to plan extra special events that will bring our community together and deepen our faith and witness to an ever loving God who has given us all that we have. This past February, the Aurora Community leaders planned a surprise candlelight dinner with dancing. The highlight of the evening was the renewal of vows done by Deacon Duane Wozek and assisted by his bride, Chris Wozek. This special evening was concluded by members of the community dancing to the song “Beautiful in my Eyes.” Our traditional “Cupid Couple” gifts were exchanged and the evening ended in prayer and special intentions.

We have couples that witness daily, dialogue daily, and pray together daily. This helps them and our community brings inspiration, stability, and faith to others. Without a doubt, we have monthly presentations that go far beyond the ordinary presentation. Much time, effort, and creativity is packed into each presentation. Couples leave each meeting feeling inspired, reenergized, and full of hope and faith after witnessing the humility, honesty, and love that pours into the talks.

We likewise support the Weekends with exciting and dedicated prayer couples. We are especially accepting of leadership responsibilities. This past year the Aurora Community planned the October 1st Marriage Enrichment Day. In addition, the community took on the planning and set-up for the Area’s annual “Puttin’ on the Ritz Dance” that took place this past April. The Community works as a team to help the executive couple and continuing the journey coordinators. The Community realizes the many needs of the WWME mission and is dedicated to doing what we can to help accomplish this enormous and very important task.

Yes, the Aurora Community is a special Community of believers and witnesses to married love and an ever-loving, awesome God. Our community is grounded in faith and is a constant support to one another. We all strive to live out the WWME message and make an effort to make WWME a top priority in our lives!

Web site page

Pictures from Valentine Dinner

Click here for a printable version (PDF, 86KB)