Online Reporter
Diana Baloyi Moyo
THE Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Family Life Department in Makokoba District tackled one of the biggest challenges facing modern homes during its Couples’ Day Out sermon held at Save Our Souls (SOS) Children’s Village on September 5.
Under the theme, “Building Strong Marriages in the Technology Age”, different speakers addressed how couples can keep their homes strong in an era of constant technological distractions.
Speaking at the event, Dr Sikhumbuzo Ndlovu emphasised that stronger spirituality makes for stronger families. He encouraged husbands and wives to pray together, study the Word together and put God at the centre of their homes.
Parents were also reminded to guide and protect children from harmful online content while avoiding the temptation to use screens as babysitters.
Speaking on building strong marriages in the technological age, Dr Dumisani Masikize Ncube urged married couples to intentionally make time for each other. He reminded them that phones and social media should not replace conversation and that setting boundaries around screen use was key to protecting intimacy.
Mental wellness was tackled by Dr Loveness Ndebele, who noted that divorce cases were on the rise and that infidelity was one of the major contributors to mental health struggles.
She encouraged spouses to be mindful of each other’s feelings, communicate, show up for one another in times of need and offer emotional support as a form of care and protection for their marriages.
On family finances, couples were encouraged to budget together, be transparent with one another and set aside pocket money for each partner.
“Families should not live beyond their means. They should control their finances, not the other way round,” said Mr Nkosikhona Ndlovu.
Church leaders noted that divorce was also affecting believers and said neglect was often a contributing factor.
“Divorce is on the rise, even among believers. A lot of it starts with neglect. When we stop praying, stop talking and stop prioritising each other, the cracks begin to show,” they said.
The department said initiatives such as the Couples’ Day Out contributed directly to society by building stable homes that produce emotionally healthy children, responsible citizens and stronger communities.
“When marriages are healthy, families are able to raise children with values, reduce cases of domestic conflict and create homes that become centres of love and support instead of stress,” the department said.
In this way, the church believes that strengthening marriages is also a way of strengthening the nation.
The speakers acknowledged that technology had greatly improved the way people lived, making communication, work and learning easier.
However, they cautioned that technology could become harmful when abused or misused.
When it replaces Godly values and human connection, they said, it becomes a threat to families. The challenge, they said, was to use technology as a tool to build, rather than as a barrier that breaks homes.
The event ended with a call for couples to go home and apply what they had learnt, choosing daily to build marriages that honour God and stand firm in the digital age.
