wfn.org | Central and south presbyteries play cupid again

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3040 Edition

>May 31~June 6, 2010

Central and south presbyteries play cupid again

>Reported by Sam Lee and Yang Hui-ju

>Written by Lydia Ma

As the trend of late marriages and perpetual singleness increases  among young 
adults in

churches, Ling Chien-hui, a professional counselor and member of  Tung-Jung 
Presbyterian

Church, suggests that Christian men and women ought to initiate  more and 
actively participate

>in dating events organized by their churches.

Ling would like to see local presbyteries become channels for  young adults to 
meet new

people and prospective dates. But she also advised participants  that if they 
should meet

someone they like, they shouldn’t shy away from making that  first phone call. 
“Don’t be afraid

of rejection and be bold when asking people out. Happiness is not  far away 
after you take that

>first step,” she said.

PCT Shou-Shan, Kaohsiung, and Tainan presbyteries co-hosted a  seminar called 
“A Lesson

on Romance” on May 30 that included a matchmaking event. The  seminar attracted 
50 single

men and 50 single women. Through a romantic and relaxing afternoon  tea, 
participants got to

>know one another through fun games.

Having counseled so many people throughout her career, Ling was  invited to 
this event to

share her insights. “It broke my heart to see so many  talented, single young 
men and women

who are really lonely and brokenhearted inside,” she said  afterward. She 
encouraged single

men and women to be unafraid of taking initiative.

Ling noted that most participants were about 30 years old and  possessed 
impressive

qualities. But age and personal achievements can also create  pressure on these 
single adults

when they try their hand in dating. She explained that these young  people may 
admire

someone, but are generally too afraid to ask the person out on a  date for fear 
of rejection. The

>tragic result is perpetual singleness.

During her presentation, Ling referred to several stories in the  Bible that 
spoke about finding a

mate, such as stories of Isaac and Rebekah, Boaz and Ruth, etc.,  and 
encouraged young

adults to be more proactive after meeting someone they admire.

Ling lamented that single, young adults within churches are often  bound by all 
sorts of

pressures and hindrances. They often make their situations worse  by passively 
waiting for

“God’s provision” when opportunities might be just  one step or call away.

According to reports, similar events co-sponsored by these three  southern 
presbyteries in the

past have produced good results. One couple met each other two  years ago 
through a similar

seminar and wound up getting married last year.

In related news, Taichung Presbytery Youth Department organized an  event for 
Christian,

single young adults to help them meet new friends and possible  mates. The 
event “You’re

Altogether Beautiful” attracted 30 participants.

Taichung Presbytery has played cupid more than 5 times in recent  years by 
organizing fun,

matchmaking events similar to this one for young adults. Last  year’s event led 
to the eventual

>engagement of a couple.

According to a presbytery staff, there are many talented young  adults in 
churches, but most of

them have devoted their lives to their work or to serving in  church 
ministries. Because of such

busy schedules, these young adults rarely meet other Christians  from the 
opposite sex. That’s

why the presbytery’s youth department included  “courtship” as part of its 
ministry this year by

organizing two matchmaking events, one on May 29th and another  scheduled on 
September

>18th.

This event held at Shalu Presbyterian Church included sharing  perspectives on 
God’s design

for marriages, trusting in God’s provision, and developing  proper perspectives 
and attitudes

>when dating.

After a morning session devoted to learning concepts and sharing  ideas, an 
afternoon

session devoted to group games encouraged participants to mingle  with one 
another. Staff

members created an interesting game similar to Facebook’s  Happy Farm that 
involved a high

level of cooperation and interaction among players.

This event didn’t ask participants to write down and submit  names of people 
they would like to

know further and possibly date. The presbytery hoped that both men  and women 
participants

would have courage to initiate relationships on their own.

According to reports, church matchmaking events for singles  usually don’t 
attract enough male

participants. For example, registration for one Christian singles  event 
scheduled on June 12-

>13 still has 10 available spots for men.

This event sponsored by Shui-Nan Holiness Church in Taichung has  produced 24 
successful

matches since its inception in 1997. It provides a safe and open  environment 
where young

adults can learn to interact with one another, openly express  their 
admiration, and learn about

>God’s purpose for creating marriages.

Youth interested in signing up for this event are encouraged to  register by 
visiting www.love-flag.idv.tw

>********************

Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Taiwan's local  languages.

You may translate and re-use our articles online only if you  acknowledge the 
source as

"Taiwan Church News" and list the names of the reporter and  writer.

Contact us before reprinting any of our articles for print  publications.

Direct comments and questions about this article to:  enews@pctpress.org

Visit our website for more news at: http://enews.pctpress.org/  (English)

>http://www.pctpress.org (Chinese)

>********************

> 
>