1. Draft a CMP Covenant to be signed in your community, and have it
reviewed by Mike.
2. Marriage Savers will draft a press release and coach on how to obtain
press coverage.
3. Recruit four prospective Mentor Couples from participating houses of
worship
4. Hold a public signing at the courthouse or city hall at 1 pm on a
Friday
5. That evening and on Saturday Marriage Savers will train clergy and
Mentor Couples.
Much enthusiasm and optimism surrounds the founding of a
CMP. As with all human endeavors, keeping it going requires
intentional, sustained efforts. The community needs a
passionate point person to keep the “community” vision for
CMP vibrant.
A congregation may begin with only one mentor couple who
move away. There is a danger that the congregation’s
participation in the CMP goes away with them. The
community’s CMP point person should be keeping in touch will
all mentor couples and nurturing them so that they feel they
are part of and serving something bigger than their own
congregation. Mentor couples should help raise up more
mentor couples, and at a minimum, at least one couple, to
carry on the work when they can’t.
The point person role can be a volunteer role or a full
or part-time paid position. If paid, he or she should be
supported by all the signers of the CMP. But for the sake of
simplicity and certainty, he or she ought to be hired and
paid by one congregation which collects contributions from
the other CMP congregations. For large communities, the
formation of a charitable 501(c)(3) organization should be
considered so that funds can be raised from foundations and
other sources to augment or replace “dues” or other funding
commitments from CMP member congregations.
Prepare for lifelong marriages