February 14th, St Valentines Day, a time to celebrate love and romance and so it seems fitting to think about how important a day it really is for the Association of Interchurch Families and its members... Because after all interchurch families are the embodiment of ecumenical love and romance, starting as they do with the coming together of two people from different denominational traditions meeting and falling in love and wanting to get married...

And so St Valentines day really does seem so fitting...
Not least because the stories of St Valentine - as muddled as they may be - tend to have a theme of marrying people for whom the rules were initially against them, and opening the eyes of the blind... Something that maybe feels a little familiar and apt to an association that in its time has seen its members  feeling like they are dealing with and doing very similar things within their denominations and the wider Christian Church.

A popular account of St Valentine in the 13th century appears in the Nuremberg Chronicle and states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius Gothicus after being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted in Rome.
A different story from the 3rd century said he was a priest who defied the order of the emperor Claudius and secretly performed Christian weddings for couples when getting married was forbidden for those in, or entering, the army. It's here the account says that "to remind these men of their vows and God’s love, Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment", possibly where the hearts we all recognise as a part of Valentines day come from.
A third story of Saint Valentine names him the former Bishop of Terni, who while under house arrest with Judge Asterius, discussed his faith with him and has the judge putting him to the test;  if Valentine succeeds in restoring the girl's sight, then his faith was deep and true and right... Praying to God, Valentine laid his hands on the Judges blind adopted daughter and restored her sight! The judge humbled by this faith converted and received the Christian sacrament of baptism, and in turn freed all the Christian inmates under his authority.
They really are quite wonderful stories aren't they...

And for those within the Association of Interchurch Families there can seem to be strong analogies to be drawn between the act of a saint who is willing to step up and marry people who some say shouldn't be or have had hindrances put in their way, and those that are sometimes faced across denominational divisions that have nothing to do with love or really even faith, but rather due to rules and traditions...
And also so to the opening of the eyes of the blind in authority so that Christians can be freed of what can feel like the imprisonment of rules and decisions based not on love but legalism...  So that here instead, when these things are faced with faith, open discussion, and demonstration of real relational ecumenism, love and faith can truly bloom, be sanctified, and flourish in a way that increases the community of Christ and the fellowship of faith...

We are pleased to say that in the years the Association of Interchurch Families has been around the barriers have been changing, the eyes opening, and the hearts freed in faith so that the love felt by people from differing Christian traditions doesn't need a martyr to see it happen, but rather both parties truly can stand side by side and go forward into a life of love and faith together as equals...

That said there's still work to do, though the hearts may flourish sometimes the struggle remains a little when moving into the next stage of Interchurch Family life with a new family and baptismal traditions.  But then that's why we are still here to this day putting out our paper hearts and working so that we can help demonstrate to the church, the true face of Christian ecumenism that is family, as we work together to seeing love - romantic and everyday - flourish and bloom, to see the family sacraments not be places of sacrifice and martyrdom, but instead be places of deep love, open hearts and familial welcome for all.

If you are in an Interchurch family, or just starting your journey to an Interchurch relationship, and would like to know more about the Association of Interchurch Families then please do make contact... And if you do encounter an issue in that journey then don't hesitate to contact us with your questions or queries and we will do all we can to help you.  After all, that is one of the things we are here for - not quite a Saint Valentine that can help with your marriage or the full healing, but certainly an organisation that can share our faith and knowledge that may help. 

Melanie Carroll
Executive Officer
Association of Interchurch Families

www.facebook.com/Interchurchfamilies

www.interchurchfamilies.org.uk