Summary
United Marriage Encounter ("UME") is a Christian ministry seeking to help couples around the world renew their marriages and build Christ-centered homes. UME does this in response to the grace of the one God. UME offers Marriage Encounter Weekend ("Weekend") and related activities that help married couples and their families grow in their relationship with each other, with God, and with the church. Weekend combines Christian values and practical methods to improve communication between husband and wife. Weekend gives couples time to focus on each other, free from distractions of everyday life. It provides time for them to examine their marriage and discuss feelings, joys, disappointments, and hopes. Weekend is for all couples who have a good marriage and want to make it better. UME does not recommend Weekend for anyone who is receiving professional marriage counseling or psychiatric care, or who needs that kind of help. UME is organized as an interdenominational, ecumenical Christian organization. This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. It is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
Contact Information: [ Back to top ]
| Mailing Address: | 2610 Park Ave. P.O. Box 209
Muscatine, IA
52761-0069 |
| Website: | www.unitedmarriage.org |
| Phone: | (800) 334-8920, (563) 264-8889 |
| Email: | You need to enable javascript to see the email |
Organization Details [ Back to top ]
EIN: 222164348
| CEO/President: |
Mr. Bob Diederich |
Tax Deductible: |
Yes |
| Chairman: |
Mr. Bob Diederich |
Fiscal Year End: |
December 31 |
| Board Size: |
16 |
Financial info from: |
|
| Founder: |
Len & Colleen Pagland and Rev. L.D. Baize |
Member of ECFA: |
Yes |
| Year Founded: |
1975 |
Member of ECFA since: |
1995 |
United Marriage Encounter ("UME") is a Christian ministry seeking to help couples around the world renew their marriages and build Christ-centered homes. UME does this in response to the grace of the one God. UME offers Marriage Encounter Weekend ("Weekend") and related activities that help married couples and their families grow in their relationships with each other, with God, and with the church.
Weekend combines Christian values and practical methods to improve communication between husband and wife. Weekend gives couples time to focus on each other, free from distractions of everyday life. It provides time for them to examine their marriage and discuss feelings, joys, disappointments, and hopes in a face-to-face, heart-to-heart, private sharing between wife and husband.
Weekend is for all couples who have a good marriage and want to make it better. UME does not recommend Weekend for anyone who is receiving professional marriage counseling or psychiatric care, or who needs that kind of help.
UME is organized as an interdenominational, ecumenical Christian organization. This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. It is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
Need Mission Statement
Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]
United Marriage Encounter has established 26 local United Marriage Encounter Communities. In the last decade, UME significantly expanded its office and staff to provide more service and support in reaching Southeast Asia. Since 1998, UME has expanded into Malaysia and Indonesia.
Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]
This profile needs a statement of faith
In 1974 a group of Protestant couples in the Rochester, New York area who had attended Worldwide Catholic Weekends began planning for a United Protestant Expression of Marriage Encounter (UPEME). Len and Colleen Pagnard and the Rev. D.L. and Marilyn Baize were co-founders and early leaders.
Couple Power, Inc., the Rochester branch of Worldwide (Catholic) M.E., actively helped UPEME to get started, paid the cost of training the first four UPEME Team Couples, and provided Weekend supplies, and much other support.
The first UPEME Weekend was presented in Rochester, NY in February 1975. It was originally contemplated that UPEME would be part of Couple Power, Inc. and Worldwide M.E. It was expected that UPEME would primarily serve Protestant couples and Couple Power, Inc. would primarily serve Roman Catholics. However, from the beginning, the Weekends of both groups were open to couples of all faiths.
Worldwide M.E. decided that UPEME could not be formally affiliated with Worldwide because UPEME did not (and chooses not to) meet two Worldwide M.E. criteria for its affiliated groups. Worldwide required and still requires that all Team Couples and a large percentage of Weekend couples come from one church denomination. UPEME welcomes Team Couples and Weekend Couples from all Christian traditions.
In 1977 UPEME, Inc. was incorporated as a New York nonprofit corporation. In 1988 the name, United Protestant Expression of Marriage Encounter (UPEME), was changed to United Marriage Encounter (UME) to be more inclusive, and UME was incorporated as an Iowa nonprofit corporation.
United Marriage Encounter invites volunteers to join them in expanding the reach of the ministry. Additional financial resources would allow the ministry to accelerate its expansion in new areas.
Research Analysis
Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]
| Transparency Grade of : B |
| Criteria category | Grade | Other Comments |
| Timeliness: | 70 | 10/28/2011 8:52:17 PM: Organization made financial information available greater than 7 ½ months. |
| Financial Information: | 80 | |
| Foundational Clarity: | 100 | 10/28/2011 8:52:28 PM: Descriptive information was abundant and thorough. |
| Level of Cooperation: | | |
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MinistryWatch.com 5 Star Financial Efficiency Ratings [ Back to top ]
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