Friends and neighbors are often overlooked as potential resources, but they may be the most powerful force to create change. Be intentional about sharing your knowledge and passion for keeping marriages united and unchanged.

HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

· Encourage Contact with State Senators and State Representatives. Your friends and family may not know how to contact their own senator and representative(s) and may find the idea intimidating or time-consuming. They may not know that legislators are usually very willing to talk. Be prepared to furnish telephone numbers, addresses, and even names of local senators and representatives.

· Be Personal. Share why certain issues are important to you and why you think it is crucial to be active in the political process.

· Have examples. Use examples of how political involvement can affect our daily lives, moral values, work, school, church, and our society's worldview. The more examples you have, the more you can tailor the effects to your audience's concerns: a young mother may be more persuaded by the change in school curricula, while a middle-aged businessman may be more interested in the economic consequences for small businesses.

· Encourage "letter writing" parties. Group situations remove many of the psychological and procrastination problems that arise when you ask a person to request action from elected officials.

· Start a Prayer Group.· Center the prayer group specifically around an important current issue. (Example: prayer group for marriage could include prayer for divorce rate, gay marriage, cohabitation, promotion of homosexuality in schools, desensitization, pressure kids are receiving to be "tolerant" of any and every sexual orientation)

· Be prepared. You may be challenged with common sound-byte responses to arguments for preserving marriage. The more informed you are, the more effective you can be. Use our Marriage Resource Page to equip yourself in advance.