As sometime course facilitator of the Marriage Preparation Course of my faith community, an Anglican Church of Southern Africa, I had become curious as to what meaning the couples had constructed of their participation in these courses, particularly relating to both the content and style of facilitating the Course. The research finding determined that the main value of the Course had been that the group discussions enabled couples to explore their personal positions on a number of issues related to marriage. The adoption of participative action research as a broad model for the Course is recommended to encourage the engagement between premarital couples and the course facilitator to create/find knowledges and practices that will prepare them for marriage. Furthermore, the course facilitator should adopt a not-knowing, curious stance toward the elements of marriage under discussion, employing the narrative tools of externalisation and deconstructive questioning to facilitate the couples' meaning-making. / Practical Theology / M.Th.(Specialization in Pastoral Therapy)

As sometime course facilitator of the Marriage Preparation Course of my faith community, an Anglican Church of Southern Africa, I had become curious as to what meaning the couples had constructed of their participation in these courses, particularly relating to both the content and style of facilitating the Course. The research finding determined that the main value of the Course had been that the group discussions enabled couples to explore their personal positions on a number of issues related to marriage. The adoption of participative action research as a broad model for the Course is recommended to encourage the engagement between premarital couples and the course facilitator to create/find knowledges and practices that will prepare them for marriage. Furthermore, the course facilitator should adopt a not-knowing, curious stance toward the elements of marriage under discussion, employing the narrative tools of externalisation and deconstructive questioning to facilitate the couples' meaning-making. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th.(Specialization in Pastoral Therapy)

A journey to healing is a story of women survivors of sexual abuse. Through narrative pastoral conversations a group or community of concern was formed that witnessed how these women managed to move by re-telling from problem-saturated dominant lifestories to rich alternative stories of survival. Post-modern practical theology formed the epistemological backdrop of this study with the focus on taking a prophetically, ethical and political stance. The group deconstructed patriarchal knowledge that has been dominant in constructing understanding of women. Deconstruction lead to the centralising of previously subjugated knowledge about themselves and made multiple identities and preferred realities possible. Feminist theology's liberating spirit contributed to this participator action research where women moved from being right to doing right. The monthly celebration teas hosted by the group were instrumental in the healing of other women who have experienced sexual violation. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

A journey to healing is a story of women survivors of sexual abuse. Through narrative pastoral conversations a group or community of concern was formed that witnessed how these women managed to move by re-telling from problem-saturated dominant lifestories to rich alternative stories of survival. Post-modern practical theology formed the epistemological backdrop of this study with the focus on taking a prophetically, ethical and political stance. The group deconstructed patriarchal knowledge that has been dominant in constructing understanding of women. Deconstruction lead to the centralising of previously subjugated knowledge about themselves and made multiple identities and preferred realities possible. Feminist theology's liberating spirit contributed to this participator action research where women moved from being right to doing right. The monthly celebration teas hosted by the group were instrumental in the healing of other women who have experienced sexual violation. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Pastoral Therapy)