After two years of online meetings, the Family Committee held its first family camp at Beit El Ansara, with formation for the committee and evening gatherings with couples in Kfarhouneh, Mrah El Habbas, Wadi El Laymoun and Ain El Delb.
After the online gatherings "Our Family Is Our Treasure" 1 and 2 over two years, the Family Committee of the Melkite Diocese of Sidon launched its first family camp, "Our Family Is Our Treasure 3," from 3 to 6 August at Beit El Ansara in Kfarfalous. The committee received its own formation before setting out to the villages.
On the first day we shared with His Excellency Bishop Elie Bechara Haddad, Archbishop of the diocese, a talk on "The Family and the Church's Vision of Society." On the second day we shared with Father Wissam Wakim a talk on "Marriage and the Family in Holy Scripture."
A surprise visit from Father Joseph Abi Aoun, superior of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Hill and head of the Family Committee of the Maronite Diocese of Sidon, added a beautiful atmosphere of love and of the ongoing cooperation between the two dioceses.
On two consecutive evenings we went to the villages of Kfarhouneh, Mrah El Habbas, Wadi El Laymoun and Ain El Delb, where a couple from the Family Committee led meaningful relational themes for married life with the families who took part. The first evening's theme was "Communication and Dialogue," and the second was "Assessing the Quality of the Relationship."
The participants explored the theme together: each spouse did a personal exercise on the topic, then they shared as a couple, followed by personal and couple sharing in front of everyone.
These themes helped couples read their relationship and find new ways of communicating with each other, and also helped them pray together in a new way through the experience of the covenant prayer.
At the end of the camp, the committee invited the couples who had taken part in these gatherings to join the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Father Youssef Dandan in the church of Beit El Ansara in Kfarfalous, after which a cake was cut to celebrate the occasion.
Thank you to everyone who prepared, followed up and took part in making this camp happen; thank you to the parishes that welcomed us, the priests who accompanied us and the families who took part.
Thank you to ACN (Aid to the Church in Need), which funded this camp and always supports all our activities.
Thank you to His Excellency Bishop Elie Bechara Haddad for his constant support, his love and care, and for welcoming us and sharing these precious moments with us.
