Why christian speed dating?!
We live in an increasingly disconnected world, where lonliness has been recognised as a ‘global public health concern’. The rapid evolution of technology has dramatically altered the way we communicate, build and maintain relationships. This is perhaps nowhere more felt than within the dating scene.
There seems to be a collective exhaustion with dating apps, and feelings of frustration and hopelessness around dating in general. Judgements are made within seconds based on a profile picture. It’s more and more uncommon to meet someone ‘in the wild’ as people have their heads buried in their devices, unaware of the world around them.
While the church offers beautiful community to combat some of the disconnection, it doesn’t really provide a solution for those who desire marriage and are therefore looking to date. Many attend churches where they’re the only single person in their age group, or perhaps one of a small (and incompatible) handful.
Speed dating is a simple, fun and intentional way of gathering a whole bunch of people from different churches and locations, who share the same faith and are serious about dating/finding a spouse. It’s a way to ‘widen the pool’. Just think, you might meet 2-3 single people within your age bracket in a year, but come to speed dating and in a night you’ll meet 16-20 of them!
Ultimately, we aim to create a safe space where people with the same heart for God can gather, get to know one another, and feel outrageously encouraged, seen and cared for. For those who haven’t had any or many opportunities to date, it’s a place to practice and break through any fear that may be associated with dating. And of course, we hope and pray for many beautiful connections and love stories to come about as a result!
From a single gal to my single pals
Friend, I’m right there with you. Thirty-six and VERY single. Riding the waves of hope, despair, trust, doubt, joy, contentment and loneliness. Celebrating weddings, engagements, baby showers and all the rest with my community, doing my best to manage the aching of my own heart that still longs for marriage and family.
My story includes many years of being genuinely terrified of dates and dating, and honestly, men in general. Part of the battle has been my good ‘ol insecurities and not believing I could be attractive to men, and part of it was a hangover from the ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye'/fear-based purity culture I’d swum around in. It all felt extremely high stakes and fraught with danger, so much so it was easier to avoid dates and men altogether - or on the flip side, get into relationships and put a wild amount of pressure on things to work out/progress to marriage, rather than simply recognising we weren’t a good fit, and that was okay.
It was actually attending a speed dating event (not Christian specific), that helped me move through the fear and realise dating wasn’t actually as terrifying as I’d thought (even for an introvert lacking confidence around men). After the event, I thought, ‘Why isn’t this being done in the Christian space?!’
So, here we are! My vision is that together, we’d begin shifting away from a high-stakes, fear-based dating culture and re-introduce FUN, excitement and hope back into the mix. I pray these events would be opportunities for growth, healing and encouragement for what is often one of the most vulnerable parts of a single person’s life. I also hope and pray for this to be a place where community, friendship and yes of course…LOVE can grow!
Much love,
Bonnie x