Status

I've decided that the church does not know what to do with single persons above the age of 21 but below 30. Not that that's anything new, you can find published articles that seriously discuss such matters and conclude that this must change, we are all part of the family, etc. etc. As much as we try not to, we do categorize and classify. We are children, young adults or adults. We go to sunday school, youth group or adult cell group (or the main service). There's an in between in the adult category. Young adults (as they are now called) and adults (the ones that really are adults, I suppose, married with kids and a steady income). In the 'young adult' stage, you automatically become categorized in groups for 'singles' or 'couples.' And the first question you are asked when visiting a church is, are you married? If it's no, then you are given information about the singles ministry and how it's a good way to meet people. I find it rather amusing to see the different ways 'meeting people' is described on various websites. A safe way. While we do not recommend dating as a reason to attend church, many singles find the church a refreshing way to meet other persons alike them (alike in belief, or relationship status???). We have events at least once a month where you can meet other singles (now that's kinda scary, instead of speed dating, you get a couple more hours to check people out). The church seems to find it urgent to marry off as many singles as possible, as soon as possible. And although the focus of singles ministry is of course not to matchmake y'all, it never fails that one of the prayer items in every prayer is to guide relationships and to build 'em up...of course, it's not just about the ah-hm relationship you know, there's the parent-child relationship, the sibling re, the friend re, the platonic girl-boy re, etc. There is an awkward pause when you're say, no, I'm not married, and then, you get the look "so, what are you doing with your life?" Throwing it away apparently.

I'm just having a cynical moment here...some churches do do a pretty good job of keeping that 'singles ministry' group but with a focus on actual spiritual growth...once the whole tension of I'm a whole room full of unmarried potential life partners!!! dissipates :P

One day, we singles will get around to obeying that command of being fruitful and multiplying. Just be patient. And then some of us, hopefully more, will take that commandment in a spiritual manner and be greeted at the gates of heaven by all those fruit (ok, that doesn't sound the way I mean it to be, but you get the idea).