Carla Aday
Rekindling the Gift: A Retreat for All Couples

Dave is executive director of Midwest Christian Counseling Center. Dave has 29 years of clinical experience. Working with couples in crisis makes up about 40% of his caseload. He believes that relationship work is to marriage what oxygen is to breathing. Many marriages can avoid a crisis that could lead to dissolution of the relationship by attending to that couple work. He enjoys the workshops that allow him to work with couples so that they can develop the habits that make a marriage vital. These times also give him the opportunity to attend to his own marriage—which has been the greatest source of inspiration for what fruit a marriage can bear together and individually.

Carla co-founded an early marriage ministry program at her congregation which has been replicated across the country in congregations of various sizes and traditions. The program utilizes two outstanding tools Couple Communication and Prepare and teaches couples to see their partnerships as part of the spiritual journey, an opportunity to live out the great love commandment in the most intimate of relationships.

Carla has led Great Start training events in Texas, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and Kansas and has taught courses on relationshps at Central Baptist Seminary.

Dave has spoken at relationship events in Wisconson, Kansas, Missouri, and was the featured speaker at a national conference on the integrations of theology and psychology.

Together Carla and Dave have led retreats and events in Michigan, Missouri and Kansas.
Dave says “We all know more about how to be married than we actually . . . “

Carla loves this quote “Marriage exists not primarily to make us happy but to make us holy, though in the long run their can be no happiness without holiness” (Gilbert Meilander)

This retreat will give couples of all places in their journey a chance to reflect on where they are and where the spirit summons them to grow. Couples will have the chance to take an on line assessment that will help shape the weeks sessions. The hikes and free times will give couples a chance to laugh and play together, to rekindle the gift of romance and to share on a deeper level with one another. The sessions will offer psychological and theological insights into couple growth and life cycle, practical tools for strengthening relationships, modeling of couple dialogue. Time will also be set aside for couples to dialogue privately about their themes and to ask questions.

About the leaders:
Carla and Dave, married for 15 years, have been certified by Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment, Couple Communication and Prepare/Enrich.