(continued from front page) An interview with Rochelle Chakraborty, a leader of this initiative

…is to try to reverse the trend! Simply put: it’s couples gathering together once a week for about 4 weeks to discover how to add that missing spark back into the marriage, how to “seal-proof” marriages and so much more! It’s about people caring, teaming up, and hopefully creating some lasting friendships.

Why so many divorces? There has been a lot of research done on this and it seems the numbers [of divorces] just keep climbing and climbing. We’ve lost our sense of what commitment means. It seems like it’s expected nowadays that if you’re struggling, you may as well just give up. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Marriage is wonderful and is a covenant. Sure, there are times when it’s going to be hard, you’re going to fight, struggle, feel pain, but that happens in any aspect of life. It’s learning how to work through all of that that brings the peace and hope that so many people are looking for.

Scriptural connection: Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, "a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Before I was even married, I was praying with a group of people one day and one of the people saw a picture of a braided vine, with a green middle strand. It seemed very symbolic to me of marriage and what it should be like- that it's my husband and I with God in the middle, interlaced throughout every aspect of it. I still think of that picture often and think “Yes, that’s how it should be for everyone!” We want to help people glue their marriage together and I think the marriage initiative is one way to make a huge difference.

Personal motivation: It seems like in the last few years, more and more people I know, friends, family, you name it, have marriages that are breaking up. It really breaks my heart. My husband Ahin and I want to help try and change things in our region – to give people hope and help. Along with that, we want to help grow our relationship. We want to gain from it too. There’s a quote that says “Success is a journey, not a destination.” And I think oftentimes people think the opposite. For example, “Ah, the wedding’s over, we’re married, we can kick back now and just enjoy the ride!” But that’s the worst thing that can happen. Ahin and I want to work at growing our marriage each and every day. And we’re excited that this initiative will not only help others, but help us too.

How to get involved: To get involved in this ministry, please forward your contact information to theCHURCH@kingdomtransformation.com or contact Ahin or Rochelle Chakraborty at 570-662-7916. You can also e-mail them at thechaks@epix.net

Rochelle Chakraborty works at Kingdom Inc. and she is the wife of Ahin Chakraborty, pastor of Agape Community Church.