The Couples for Christ (CFC) is an international Catholic lay ecclesial movement whose goal is to renew and strengthen Christian values. It is one of 123 International Associations of the Faithful. The organization is linked to the Vatican through the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and is led by an International Council based in the Philippines under the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. The community consists of family ministries, social arms, and anti-abortion ministries. History Couples for Christ (CFC) was established in 1981 by the charismatic community Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (LNP; Filipino for "The Joy of the Lord") in Manila. Its target groups were primarily married couples, inviting prospective couples to a private home for a series of weekly gospel discussions. Since 1993, CFC had also started other demographic-specific groups, including "Kids for Christ," "Youth for Christ," "Singles for Christ," "Handmaids of the Lord" and "Servants of the Lord." In 1996, CFC was approved by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines as a National Private Association of Lay Faithful and recognized in 2000 by the Holy See as a private international association of the lay faithful of Pontifical Right. CFC is present in dioceses across all 81 Philippine provinces and 163 countries. It sent participants to the Extraordinary Synod on the Family organised by Pope Francis in 2014. Membership and Community Life Any validly married Catholic couple can become members of CFC. Although a Catholic movement/organization, CFC also accepts non-Catholic Christians. Christian Life Program People interested in joining CFC will go through the weekly seminar series “Christian Life Program” (CLP), which usually spans 13 weeks, equivalent to 13 sessions. The CLP serves as the primary approach for Evangelization, and is a core activity for CFC members. At the end of the CLP, couples are invited to dedicate themselves to the Lord as CFC members, and commit themselves to active participation in community life and the Church through regular prayer meetings, attendance in community assemblies and teachings, and participation in parish life. CLP graduates are then grouped into cell groups called "households," consisting of 4 to 7 couples under the pastoral care of a family head. The CLP is also the point of entry for those who wish to join CFC's Family Ministries: Singles for Christ, for single young professionals Handmaids of the Lord and Servants of the Lord, for widowed women and men, single parents, or those