Increase Your Reach
As the 2024 Olympics were televised, I watched in awe at how so many athletes from around the world could compete in the same sports. Some sports, like track and field, have been around for centuries, but others, like breakdancing and skateboarding, seem too modern to be worldwide sports. What once was just a pastime for local kids down at the park is now an international phenomenon. I feel a similar awe about teaching Natural Family Planning.
The Awe of Teaching NFP
NFP classes that take place online now have couples from all over the United States. Where you were once a volunteer for your parish, now NFP instruction is moving outward to the diocese and even the national level. Pete and Lora Brodeur, CCL TC in Rhode Island, have been teaching Live Online classes for the past few years. They have started a list of all the states where their student couples live and hope to teach couples from all fifty states; a big accomplishment for a couple from the tiniest state!
Looking Outward
Adrian and I experienced this outward approach to teaching early on. When we were trained as a teaching couple, there was another couple from our parish who also became a TC. While our parish was large, we did not think it was necessary to have so many classes in one place. So, we looked outward towards other parishes where there were no teachers. We drove 30 minutes to Boulder, Colorado, and taught at multiple different parishes, depending on availability and need.
For a few years, we even drove up into the mountains to teach. We would leave the kids with the grandparents and drive up on a Friday night (too much ski traffic on Saturday morning) and teach the next morning. Often, we taught a series during Lent. We were able to attend the Stations of the Cross and soup dinner at the parish, turning a teaching opportunity into a mini vacation for us busy parents. It was not until we had taught NFP for 12 years that we started teaching at our own parish. Even now, the central location of our parish in Denver attracts many couples from all over.
Teaching Couples Are A Witness
Any teaching couple will tell you that they have heard this phrase from couples many times, “Why have I not learned this information about fertility before now?” The TC’s witness of their practice of NFP is needed in our world. Some couples misinterpret the concept of “responsible parenthood.” Some take it to the extreme to not have children and may believe that families are a burden or even dangerous to our planet. However, the pro-life family counters this belief with lives filled with joy and openness to life.
As a TC you share this joy when you teach. Your words and interactions with each other illustrate this difference and students see the tangible difference in your marriages. Adrian and I also pray before each class that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak and the words the couples need to hear. As a TC, there is not enough time to share everything from our life that NFP has affected, but we believe that the Holy Spirit will guide us to witness to the couples we teach in the best way possible. We can share that awe as we teach.
Be An Influencer!
I encourage you to contemplate what a positive effect NFP has had in your life and marriage. Prayerfully consider if God is calling you to teach and mentor couples. You can have a positive influence on their marriages and increase your reach beyond your parish. Other couples need to experience your witness of married life to be encouraged to live God’s plan in their marriage.
We are very excited to announce that we have a new Teacher Training Session underway. We are going to have another round starting very soon. CCL is open to receiving applications from students and promoters who are interested in teaching NFP to other couples. Also, we have a new opportunity for individuals to teach NFP as a paid FSI Instructor.
Written by Stacey Nagle. Stacey is a long- time teaching couple for CCL with her husband and more recently a Fertility Science Institute Coach. Stacey also serves as the National Volunteer Coordinator for CCL. She lives in Colorado with her husband and family. If you have any questions, contact Stacey at snagle@ccli.org