carol & Rick Holmgren

May, 2022, Friends Couple Enrichment welcomed Rick and Carol Holmgren, new FCE leaders from Meadville, PA. They are the first couple to complete the new, self-paced, online training.

In their training and sharing in FCE events, Carol and Rick have dived deeply into the spirit of Couple Enrichment dialogue, exhibiting open-heartedness and truth-speaking with one another. They bring valuable skills and experience to the ministry of Friends Couple Enrichment. As a Couple-in-Training, they assisted in facilitating a one-day online workshop at the 2021 FGC Summer Gathering, and a multi-session online workshop co-sponsored by FCE and Pendle Hill. They have a great capacity for love, fun, and intimacy, which by example invites others into disclosure and deeper intimacy. Their reliance on the Holy Spirit has gifted each of them with a natural grace and empathy. Through their gentle awareness, they convey a sense of calm, respect, and deep caring for the particular gift of each relationship. They look forward to facilitating in-person workshops once the pandemic allows this.

Carol and Rick have been married for 34 years and have twin children, who are now 26. They are active in their local Unitarian Universalist church, where Rick serves on the board and leads Sunday services several times each year. During their lives together, they have benefited from a variety of experiences designed to foster their growth as individuals and as a couple, and they were delighted to discover the depth possible through Friends Couple Enrichment. The skills they learned in FCE workshops and in the FCE leader training have helped them strengthen their relationships with each other, with their children, and with their community.

Carol is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator at Tamarack Wildlife Center where she strengthens people’s connection to and care for the natural world, while helping the creatures native to northwest Pennsylvania. Rick is retired from faculty and administrative positions at Allegheny College, enjoys having more time to tend their home, and continues to consult occasionally in higher education.

They are delighted to embark on their ministry sharing the gifts of FCE as FCE leaders, and they hope to develop a vibrant FCE community in their region. They welcome support for that effort from the FCE community, particularly members in Western PA, Northeastern Ohio, and Western NY.