Editor’s Note: This piece was originally published in 2008.
In “Love Where You Least Expect It,” Match.com offers some suggestions to guys on unusual places to meet women: in a long line, playing community sports, at a work event. The article is secular but it reminded me that all singles — not just Christian singles — struggle to meet new people.
The article inspired me to compile my own list (and I would love readers to add to it):
Hobby group.
Four years ago, a couple of friends and I started a comedy improv troupe. The result has been a constant flow of new, funny (and godly) friends. Many churches offer interest-based groups, like cooking, mountain biking or softball. If there’s nothing that appeals to you, start your own.
Your church.
Church remains a great place to meet someone. The key is to get involved. Join a young adult Bible study or volunteer with a ministry. My friends Jane and Peter met at small group and were friends for several months before they started dating and eventually married.
Someone else’s church.
One of my college professors met her husband when a friend invited her to her little country church. The friend had told Barbara that there was a very nice widower at her church who was a flight instructor. Barbara was interested in learning to fly, but when she met Chuck, she knew she had found more than a flight instructor. The two married within a year.
A friend’s house.
When I first moved to Colorado Springs, I was introduced to a concept called “share your friends.” A group of singles had a quarterly dinner where each person brought a friend the rest of the group probably didn’t know. I’ve incorporated this idea on a micro level by trying to mingle groups of friends who may have not met. Don’t turn down invites into new groups.
Coffee shops.
Once my brother, trying to encourage me in my single plight, asked, “Aren’t there…like…any Christian coffee shops…or something?” I didn’t laugh. Partly because it was a sweet thought. Partly because in Colorado Springs, the home of more than 70 ministries, EVERY coffee shop is a Christian coffee shop (Bible studies abound). However, many coffee shops offer music nights with Christian bands, which can provide a great atmosphere to strike up a conversation.
Enough of my ideas. What are yours?
Copyright 2008 Suzanne Hadley Gosselin. All rights reserved.
