FamilyLife began in 1976, intended simply
as a pre-marriage ministry for the staff of Campus Crusade
for Christ. Campus Crusade Founder , Bill Bright, felt
it was important to provide internal support for his
ministry teams who were pouring out their own lives
all over the world. The success and effectiveness of
the FamilyLife ministry soon led to expansion as couples
outside the Campus Crusade family witnessed the positive
impact on their friends' relationships, and began to
request the same type of ministry for themselves.
FamilyLife conferences were initiated
in 1976 and have continued to grow, to more than 600,000
alumni of the conferences. Now in its 30th
year the ministry reaches an expanded audience of married
and engaged couples, families and singles in virtually
every major US city, as well as in 42 countries on six
continents. Judging from the phenomenal response, the
Family life conferences are filling a prevalent and
crucial need.
THE FUTURE OF FAMILY LIFE IN
SOUTH AFRICA
The message of FamilyLife is. universally
applicable. Strong families and biblically-based models
and resources are needed in every culture of the world.
Forty-five countries are currently known to be utilizing
FamilyLife resources, materials, and/or strategies.
The South African National Office of
FamilyLife was opened in Pretoria in September 1996.
Quintus and Isolde Swanepoel, who are heading up FamilyLife
resources in South Africa, were priviledged to spend
one year working at the Headquarters of FamilyLife in
Little Rock, Arkansas.
Quintus
Swanepoel:
" In the year 444 BC a man surveyed the fallen
walls of his beloved city, Jerusalem, as they lay in
ruins.(Nehemiah 2:12) In those days strong city walls
were an indication of a secure city. With God's help
Nehemiah was able to rebuild the wall in a record time
of 52 days. His secret ?....each family started rebuilding
the wall in front of their own home!."
A.D.
2006 - the walls are down again.
In 1995 the Council on Families in America
made this comment:
"The evidence
of failure is overwhelming, the divorce revolution,
by which we mean the steady displacement of a marriage
culture, by a culture of divorce and unwed parenthood,
has created terrible hardships for children. Indeed,
it does not seem at all far-fetched to say that we as
a society are simply failing to teach the next generation
about the meaning, purpose, and responsibilities of
marriage. If this trend continues, it will constitute
nothing less than an act of cultural suicide."
The question we have to ask ourselves
is: "How far is South Africa behind the US in this
regard, if we are indeed behind them?"
At FamilyLife, we believe that the walls
of marriage and family can and must be rebuilt. We believe
that it is of the utmost importance for each family
to be involved in a FAMILY REFORMATION.
 History
has shown that no country can absorb the negative effects
of an escalating divorce rate indefinitely and still
remain strong, dynamic and prosperous. Someone has said:
"A country can survive illiteracy, but not the
demise of the family." It is a well known fact
that South Africa has an unacceptably high divorce rate
which is steadily on the increase. Virtually all South
Africa's problems can be traced back to poor or non-existent
family life.
What is the substance a nation is built
of ? A nation is made up of communities and cultures.
Communities consist of families. Families consist of
parents and children. A child is the basic substance
of a nation! If we allow the home to go, everything
will go. We can therefore say with confidence - a nation
is shaped in the home.
If we want to make a meaningful contribution
towards the kind of future our children would be inheriting,
then we should get involved in significant ways in raising
the standard of FamilyLife in South Africa. That is
exactly what Family life is aiming at!
WE APPEAL TO OUR READERS TO
GET INVOLVED BY JUST ATTENDING A CONFERENCE!
Click here to view
The Family Manifesto
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