By FRED ITUA
On Sunday, July 9, 2017, couples gathered in Abuja to celebrate love. It was a night of bliss for veterans of the marriage ‘profession.’
And for youngsters still learning the ropes of marriage, it was a night to remember.
The over 50 couples were members of a popular online marriage group called Marriage is Beautiful. A pastor of the Living Faith Church, an entrepreneur, Mr. John Shuaibu, is the coordinator of the group and was the convener of the get-together.
From beautiful dance steps, to lessons about marriage, awards and plenty of wine and African cuisine, couples had a night they would not forget in a hurry.
In a chat with Daily Sun at the event, Shuaibu explained the motive behind the formation of the group and how he intends to push it to a higher level with the yearly get-together.
He said: “Marriage is Beautiful is a forum where couples, separated or divorced or single, meet to discuss the beauty of marriage. It is an avenue to learn from the experiences of others. It is also a place to develop our capacity to understand the essence of marriage and to sustain it through knowing the fundamentals of marriage premised on God’s word. It is often said that what you feed on determines how you turn out.
“We realised marriage has its own curves, so do we understand that it could be straight if committed to it. Many couples are married yet disconnected. Therefore, I was led by the spirit of God and desire to see marriages sustained in love and peace, hence the reason to initiate the forum to have like minds discuss pertinent marital challenges and the solutions. Two years ago, the forum started with just a few people but today we have grown to about 3,000 members from all part of the world.
“Therefore, in view of the prevalence of marital crises in the world and statistics so mind-boggling concerning divorces, battery, domestic violence and heartbreaks, among others, one would not hesitate to say marriage is not beautiful but then, can we use few cases to judge God’s ordained plan and purpose for marriage? No!
“Marriage is to be enjoyed, not endured, only if the foundation, information, discipline, commitment, love and God are fully comprehended with regard to sustaining an enduring marriage.
“Marriage is Beautiful forum, thought it wise to bring couples and members and non-members together once a year for a dinner/award and seminar night to cement better relationships between husbands and wives to remain as lovers in the marriage. We also visit orphanage homes, which we did last year by visiting City of Refuge Orphanage home, because children are products of a relationship between two, either married or not.
“The year 2016 was our first dinner/award nite and this year marks the second. This year, we had a speaker, Deaconess Adenike Owolabi, a marriage counsellor, who talked on being ‘Lovers in marriage.’ It was to re-emphasise the importance of remaining connected to avoid loneliness.”
Mrs. Olutoyin Ogunkanmi, an emotional intelligence coach, spoke on the topic “Be the Bible Your Children Will Read.” That is, parents are to be worthy examples to their children, who see them as role models.
Rev. (Dr.) Comfort Okorafor, talked about “Having Financial Alternative in Marriage.” Finance was basically seen to be a major issue in marriages and to avoid disconnection, she urged couples to “seek alternative avenues from the normal income.”
Shauibu added that: “Pastor Isaac Oyedepo of the Living Church, Lokogoma, Abuja, was present to put a seal of blessing over all the couples for a sustained and peaceful marriage. He reiterated that marriage is also a prerequisite for a healthy church of Christ.
“It was an event where many were blessed and also an avenue to re-awaken the relationship between husband and wife to become lovers as it was in the beginning. Transcorp Hilton in the past two years has been a tremendous partner by giving our ‘Couple of the Night’ a weekend getaway in the hotel.”