We’ve just passed Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air. Romance may not be the first thing you associate with pallets, but family is the foundation of Millwood, and that starts with love. Our Millwood chaplains assist team members in their personal and spiritual lives in a wide variety of ways. One such way is relationships and marriage. Our chaplains serve team members with marital counseling and guidance and have even been known to officiate team members’ weddings.

Marriage retreats are one of the ways our chaplains support married team members. Some of these retreats are as simple as a dinner and a sermon, while others may be overnight retreats with a variety of marriage-strengthening activities and lessons.

One of our chaplains, Pastor Jody Jones, leads marriage retreats for team members at several of our Ohio facilities. He counsels many Millwood couples, helping them face different kinds of challenges.

“A lot of times, people just need someone to talk to confidentially and have you listen and pray for them,” Jody said.

Pastor Jody does not use a one-size-fits-all approach, however.

“Sometimes couples need more direction to deal with an issue,” he said. “In that case, I share with them what the Bible says about the issue as well as some personal insight.”

Pastor Jeremy Plowden at our Florence, SC facility has also started assisting Millwood couples by offering them an online marriage Bible study program.

“The plan is to do the Bible study over a virtual platform that will allow couples to watch videos at home together for discussion,” Pastor Jeremy said.

The program includes sessions that help the couple learn about marriage from a Biblical perspective. Pastor Jeremy’s lesson plan includes discussion questions that aim to help couples frame their marital goals in alignment with God’s goals for them.

In cases where couples need additional help, they can be referred to outside specialists and local marriage counselors.

“If I were going to give marriage advice to someone, it would consist of telling them to love, honor and forgive each other,” Pastor Jody said. “Those three things are key to making a marriage last.”

Family is an important part of Millwood’s culture, and investing in our team members’ marriages helps them maintain strong, happy families. As a faith-based company, providing spiritual resources to our team members is a top priority.