Family Ministries

Family Ministries offers a range of programs which provide education, recreation, support, and encouragement to individuals and families throughout their life span. We acknowledge the needs of members of our church family and those in our community to connect meaningfully with each other, to form strong and compassionate family relationships, to parent wisely and well, to grow intellectually and spiritually, and to cope with and learn from the inevitable challenges we all experience.

Our programs throughout the year include: premarital counseling for couples being married at RHUMC, marriage enrichment seminars, and adult spiritual retreats. Our parenting classes address the needs of parents with children from infancy through teens. Book discussions allow participants to form meaningful relationships with others in small groups. Short-term support groups to address bereavement and other adult issues are offered annually.

Recreational programs, and our community lecture series, bring the generations together for learning, fun and fellowship. For more information please call 310-377-6771 ext. 105 or email .

Premarital Counseling

Our Welcoming Marriage program is available to couples who are being married here at RHUMC, who are being married by our pastor at another site, or to other engaged couples with the consent of our pastor. The purpose of Welcoming Marriage is to encourage engaged couples to begin a dialogue with each other about their shared experiences, their similarities, differences, and their expectations of marriage and of each other. It is a dialogue that we hope will last a lifetime.

The first part of the program consists of an online assessment inventory that both members of the couple complete at home, as well as temperament & personality tests. Couples print out and score their own test results. Again, the purpose of the testing is to stimulate discussion and reflection. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers. Next, couples read Dr. John Gottman's research-based book "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work."

Finally, couples meet with either our Director of Family Ministries or our Associate Pastor and have a chance to discuss their response both to the test results and to the "Seven Principles." Couples may share as much or as little of their testing results as they choose. Couples may schedule up to three one-hour sessions over a period of several months. For those who would find additional counseling helpful, professional referrals are available.

For more information about Premarital Counseling, please call 377-6771 ext. 105 or 104 or email .

Parenting Classes

Parenting classes are offered both Fall and Spring and are taught by licensed therapists. Classes are nonsectarian and are available to parents throughout the community. The fee for our parenting classes always includes instruction, textbooks, free childcare and refreshments. Partial scholarships are available to parents for whom the fee would present a hardship.

Classes offered in recent years have included: Parenting Toddlers & Preschoolers, Calming the Storm: Handling Everyday Frustration & Anger in Families, Parenting through the Divorce Process, and Parenting From the Inside Out: How A Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive.

To view our current Parenting Class brochure, please click here.

For more information about upcoming classes or to be placed on our parenting mailing list, please call 377-6771 ext. 105 or email .

Sandcastles Program - Helping Children of Divorce Rebuild

The Sandcastles Program is a nationally known non-sectarian program designed to assist children 6 - 17 in dealing with their reaction to their parents' divorce or separation. Over 150,000 children nationwide have participated in this four-hour workshop in which kids come together in age-appropriate activity groups led by licensed therapists and veteran teachers. Sandcastles helps children reach a better understanding of the reality of divorce through interacting with other children having similar experiences. They learn that they are not alone, and learn both to solve problems and recognize their own strengths. While children are in their groups, parents also gather together in a class that focuses on co-parenting skills. Kids and parents come together for the last half hour of the program.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey has featured the Sandcastles program 5 times on her show and has called it her "...most important program of the year." RHUMC is a licensed provider of Sandcastles and offers the program to children and families in the greater Los Angeles area.

Sandcastles programs are held about twice a year, May 1 and October 23rd in 2011. The session on May 1 was held at Congregation Ner Tamid, because they are co-sponsoring both events with us this year. Congregation Ner Tamid is located at 5721 Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes. The session on October 23rd will be held at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, 26438 Crenshaw, Rolling Hills Estates.

To register or for more information, please call 377-6771 ext. 105 or email .

The author of the Sandcastles program is M. Gary Neuman, whose website is www.mgaryneuman.com.

Family Activities

Taco Night

Our Taco Night is usually the last Sunday of the month, after 3rd Service, which ends at about 6:30pm.

For more information about Family Ministries programs and activities, please call 377-6771 ext. 105 or email .