Proclamation for GEORGIA MARRIAGE WEEK

February 7-February 14, 2010

WHEREAS:	God ordained the sanctity of marriage as a holy and sacred union between two people who promise to love, honor and respect each other and to give themselves faithfully to each other for as long as they both shall live; and
WHEREAS:	Marriage is one of the most vital institutions in our society and can be the bedrock for stable and loving families, so essential to American life. Based on mutual commitment, marriage partners strive daily to strengthen and maintain their unity; and
WHEREAS:	The relationship between a husband and a wife is like no other, creating a united entity out of what was once two separate lives, with dedication to each other fostering a bond strong enough to survive even the most critical moments; and
WHEREAS:	Marriage promotes the core values of work, responsibility, commitment, sobriety and relationships based upon mutual respect that Americans hold dear. The stability such a bond provides benefits spouses, as well as children, by leading them to live longer, healthier, and more satisfying lives; now
THEREFORE:	I, SONNY PERDUE, Governor of the state of Georgia, do hereby proclaim February 7-14, 2010 as MARRIAGE WEEK with February 14, 2010, as WORLD MARRIAGE DAY in Georgia. In witness thereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the Executive Department to be affixed this 20th of January in the year of our Lord two thousand ten.

New Initiative for National Marriage Week USA

Announcing a New Initiative for National Marriage Week USA—February 7 to 14, 2010 To encourage marriage, reduce divorce rates, curtail poverty, and benefit children.

NEW YORK, NY.  National Marriage Week USA (www.nationalmarriageweekUSA.org) announces a new initiative for the week leading up to Valentine’s Day 2010, and is putting forth a call to mobilize hundreds of diverse organizations to plan and prepare for awareness and activities for February 7 to 14, 2010. The goal is to elevate national attention on the need to strengthen marriage and ways to do it, and initiate new efforts to reduce the divorce rate and build a stronger marriage culture which in turn helps curtail poverty and benefits children.

National Marriage Week has long been an organized celebration in the UK, Germany, Ireland, Australia, the Czech Republic, and elsewhere internationally (www.marriage-weekinternational.com) with large rallies, resolutions and celebrations in Parliaments, concerted efforts for marriage education, and more. Marriage Week was brought to the U.S. by Smart Marriages in 2002.  For 2010 a new initiative is being launched by National Marriage Week USA (NMWUSA) in an effort to focus solely on February 7 to 14 with an interactive website and coordination of national efforts at www.NationalMarriageWeekUSA.org
Chuck Stetson, chairman of National Marriage Week USA says “The alarming drop in marriage rates in America combined with high divorce rates are costly to the nation—financially costly to taxpayers and individuals, and emotionally costly to children. The nation needs to pay attention.”

“Marriage works,” says NMWUSA executive director Sheila Weber.  “Research shows that marriage makes people happier, live longer, and build more economic security.  Children with married parents perform better in school. There are proven ways to repair and restore marriages—but most folks don’t know where to go to get the help they need.”

Alarming new facts are in. A new  Marriage Index, released jointly by the National Center on African American Marriages and Parenting (NCAAMP) and the Institute for American Values in October 2009, reveals a huge decline in national marriage indicators. One indicator shows 78 percent of adults were married in 1970, while only 57 percent of adults were married in 2008.  Another indicator shows 40 percent of all children in America are now born out of wedlock in 2008; and 72 percent of African American children are now born without married parents.

“I am excited about the efforts of National Marriage Week USA to pull together business, government, and religious organizations to draw attention to solutions to the current problems created by divorce,” said marriage expert Gary Chapman, best-selling author of “Five Love Languages.” “If we can help couples learn how to create loving, supportive marriages, it will not only bring marital satisfaction, but will enrich the lives of children, and create a more productive society.  Every couple can contribute to the solution.  It begins by reading books, attending classes, and having productive communication with your own spouse.  National Marriage Week USA offers multiple resources to help you,” said Chapman.


The “Let’s Strengthen Marriage” Campaign in early 2010 held a global webinar for pastors and leaders (www.marriagewebinar.org) which is archived for continued viewing. Participants are growing daily. Posting of Events all around the country is now growing at http://www.nationalmarriageweekusa.org/events/ and you can “Read What Others Are Doing” at http://www.nationalmarriageweekusa.org/testimony/.
Ways to get involved with National Marriage Week USA include:

• Churches are encouraged to launch new marriage classes, sermon series, or host a major weekend marriage conference,
• Clergy can form Community Marriage Policies with all the clergy in their town (cities with CMPs have lowered divorce rates),
• Mayoral or Statewide Proclamations are available for National Marriage Week USA,
• Businesses can create and distribute pocket-sized pamphlets on topics such as “What is a Healthy Marriage?”
• Screenings of special marriage education DVDs or marriage related movies,
• Use of the National Marriage Week USA logo for local ads and activities,
• Schools can sponsor assemblies on healthy relationship skills.
• Most importantly, folks are encouraged to work on their own marriage—with lots of ideas and resources for where to go for help at www.nationalmarriageweekUSA.org.

Used by Permission

"Bride" and "Groom" Deemed Unacceptable by California Bureaucrats

By Brad Dacus, Pres., Pacific Justice Institute

Roseville, CA ˆ Those seeking to wed as "bride" and "groom" in California will now have to marry outside the state. Pastor Doug Bird found that out after he officiated his first wedding ceremony since the decision by the California Supreme Court overturning Proposition 22.

Last week the marriage license that he filed with Placer County was sent back along with a notice of rejection. "I received back the license and a letter from the Placer County Clerk/Recorder stating that the license 'does not comply with California State registration laws,'" Bird stated. The applicants, "Gideon and Rachel", wrote the words "groom" and "bride" next to "Party A" and "Party B" because they wished to have their legal union officially recognized as a covenant between a husband and wife. The County Recorder's Office stated that the State Office of Vital Records deemed the hand written words "bride and groom" to be an "unacceptable alternation." "What's next? Will the State of California force [ministers] to use the terms "Party A" and "Party B" in the ceremony itself?" Bird wrote in an open letter dated September 4, 2008.

The change on legal documents is the result of a ruling by the state's high court that found that defining marriage as exclusively between a man and woman violated the California Constitution. The 4-3 decision threw out a state statute passed by the voters in 2000. As such, the only recourse available to those wishing to preserve the orthodox meaning of marriage is to change the state constitution. The voters will get that chance when they go to the polls in November and vote on the marriage amendment (Proposition 8). "Unless Proposition 8 is passed, heterosexual couples will be forced to wed out of the state if they wish to be officially identified as bride and groom or husband and wife." Brad Dacus, PJI president, commented. "This is a major slap in the face for traditional marriage," Dacus continued.

"The view that gay marriage does not take anything away from traditional married couples is a denial of the legal realities," stated Kevin Snider, PJI's Chief Counsel. "The evidence is on the face of the new marriage licenses, and absent the passage of Prop 8, this will remain the law in California. Identifying couples as husband and wife on legal documents will be deemed an 'unacceptable alteration,'" Snider explained.

About The Pacific Justice Institute: Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Pacific Justice Institute works diligently, without charge, to provide their clients with all the legal support they need. Pacific Justice Institute's strategy is to coordinate and oversee large numbers of concurrent court actions through a network of over 1,000 affiliate attorneys nationwide. And, according to former US Attorney General Edwin Meese, "The Institute fills a critical need for those whose civil liberties are threatened." "Through our dedicated attorneys and supporters, we defend the rights of countless individuals, families and churches... without charge."