London Ghana SDA Church Strengthens Marriages with Family Life Series

The London Ghana Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church concluded a transformative seven-day Family Life Series on 15 February 2025, focused on enriching marital and family relationships. The series, featuring Pastor Elijah Nyamaah, head pastor of the Paris and Strasbourg Ghanaian SDA Churches in France, centred on the theme “Scammers of Love,” providing attendees with valuable insights into building and maintaining strong, God-centred relationships.

Pastor Nyamaah’s messages resonated deeply with the congregation, offering practical guidance rooted in biblical principles. His Sabbath sermon, “Romantic Relationships”, delivered on 15 February 2025, powerfully emphasised the importance of cultivating and nurturing romantic love within marriage, drawing from the foundational scripture of Matthew 19:4-6. He cautioned against the “scammers of love” – those influences that can erode the bond between husband and wife – and encouraged couples to actively protect their unions.

Understanding the Dynamics of Love

Pastor Nyamaah explained that romantic love is more than just a feeling; it’s an active process of consistently meeting each other’s emotional needs. He introduced the concept of a “love bank account” to illustrate the ebb and flow of emotions within a relationship. Positive interactions, where one partner makes the other feel valued and appreciated, are “deposits” into this account, fostering a deeper connection and attachment. Conversely, negative interactions, causing pain or distress, lead to “withdrawals”, potentially depleting the account and weakening the bond.

Practical Counsel for Christian Couples

Pastor Nyamaah offered specific guidance for husbands and wives, emphasising the importance of understanding and meeting each other’s unique emotional needs. He cautioned men against inadvertently “depositing” into the “love bank accounts” of unmarried women through excessive compliments, underlining the importance of focusing such attention on their wives.

He outlined the top five emotional needs for men, according to research, as: sexual fulfilment, recreational companionship, physical attractiveness, domestic support (peace and quiet), and admiration. For women, Pastor Nyamaah noted the top five needs to be: affection, conversation, honesty and openness, financial support, and family commitment. He stressed that neglecting these needs can lead to marital dissatisfaction.

Pastor Nyamaah encouraged husbands to practise patience and active listening, acknowledging the difference in average daily word counts between men (12,000) and women (30,000). He emphasised the importance of meaningful conversations for building intimacy and understanding.

Nurturing Love for a Godly Marriage

The pastor concluded by urging couples to continuously nurture their relationships by consistently meeting each other’s emotional needs. He recognised that differing perceptions of these needs can create challenges, highlighting the importance of open communication and mutual understanding. He encouraged couples not only to build strong relationships but also to sustain them by continuing to prioritise the emotional needs that initially drew them together.

The seven-day Family Life Series provided attendees with practical, biblically based tools for strengthening their marriages and families. The messages offered hope and guidance, equipping couples to safeguard their relationships from the “scammers of love” and build unions that honour God.