CCL of Denver

July 24, 2002

Couples say teaching NFP is enriching

Ministry teaching NFP needs volunteers

By Jennifer Anselmi

"A ministry we could share" is what Holy Trinity parishioners Teresa and Leopold Klatka have found in their work as a natural family planning (NFP) teaching couple. Married almost 10 years, the Klatkas have been teaching NFP to engaged and married couples in the Archdiocese of Denver for five months.

Ben Byron of Sacred Heart of Mary Parish in Boulder, said he and his wife Kelsey felt "a calling" to become teachers after being challenged to help change how the world views human sexuality. The challenge came during a seminar conducted by Christopher West, author of "Good News about Sex and Marriage."

Mark and Michelle Linnebur of Byers said they believed from the start of their marriage that practicing NFP would strengthen their relationship and bring them closer. They decided to teach in order to support Archbishop Charles Chaput's bold step of requiring NFP as a normative part of marriage preparation. Realizing the many benefits NFP has brought them, Michelle said she looks forward to helping other couples learn what God intends for marriage.

"They are just normal couples, like us, with an important message to share" said Sharla McGuffin of Fort Collins.

She and her husband Tyson were firmly committed to practicing NFP from the start of their marriage two years ago, but it was while they were learning the method that they realized the need for more couples willing to teach NFP.

The Klatkas, Byrons, Linneburs and McGuffins have recently joined the ranks of the more than 20 Couple to Couple League certified teaching couples who provide instruction to married and engaged couples in the art of natural family planning. All four couples began training to be teachers last summer, have completed professional training, and are already teaching or soon will teach their first classes.

Training to become an NFP teaching couple is comprehensive and flexible. Motivated couples can complete all of their training by correspondence in as little as six months. Couples also have the option of completing the reading and preliminary testing by correspondence and then attending a two-part teacher training seminar. The seminar places candidate teaching couples in a classroom setting with a teacher trainer and calls on them to teach each other the skills of chart interpretation.

Ben Byron said he was impressed by the professionalism of the seminar. The McGuffins said they enjoyed the seminar because it gave them the opportunity to meet other couples committed to teaching NFP and to learn from the interaction that takes place in the seminar.

Before actually attending the seminar, Michelle Linnebur was concerned that her minimal experience actually practicing NFP would be an obstacle to becoming a qualified teacher. Her concerns were laid to rest after completing teacher training due to the depth and breadth of the training.

The first step for any couple interested in becoming an NFP teaching couple, organizers said, is to pray that they may be open to God's call. To find out more, review the Couple to Couple League's Web site at www.ccli.org or contact a local teaching couple by calling the NFP hotline 303-715-3239.

Organizers urge interested couples to attend an upcoming information night. An information session featuring local teaching couples and a representative from the Couple to Couple League's main office is scheduled 7 p.m. Aug. 7 in Bonfils Hall at the John Paul II Center, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver. A potluck dinner and information session will be held 5:30 p.m. Aug. 10. at Holy Trinity Parish, 7595 Federal Blvd. in Westminster.

For more information or to register for either session, call Jen Anselmi at 720-493-1778 or e-mail janselmi@intradenver.com.