Young believers in certain parts of Asia can have a tough time finding other singles who share their faith. Although many of these believers desire marriage and family, churches are often small (many of them meet in houses) and limited in opportunities for Christians to meet and date other Christians.
Thomas, a Korean FamilyLife missionary, wanted to help with this issue, so he came up with a plan. He developed a 4-week program using FamilyLife materials to teach marriage principles to a group of singles and allow them to interact with each other in a safe environment. Each weekly session included a lesson, ice breakers, games, and small-group activities.
“My desire for this event included two things,” says Thomas. “One is learning biblical principles for dating; the other is allowing them to meet each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Thirty-six singles showed up for the program—all committed believers who were recommended for the program by their churches. Along with learning relationship and marriage principles such as the differences between men and women and how to have a happy, biblical marriage, the singles also had the opportunity to privately express their interest in dating someone from the group. Each person wrote on a memo the names of anyone they were interesting in dating, and Thomas and another staff member reviewed and compared memos to match up couples for dates. Thomas provided guidelines for the couples, like where to meet (in a public place such as a coffee shop), and what kinds of things to discuss (simple life history, their testimony, and their vision for marriage).
Five couples were formed as a result of this program, the exact number Thomas was praying for. They are beginning biblical dating relationships with lots of prayer and support from others. Thomas feels confident that the program was a positive experience. “I believe God was pleased with this event,” he says.
