On the eve of Valentine's Day, a Christian marriage and dating center in Henan province held an event for single Christians to provide a platform and opportunities for them to deepen mutual understanding and offer guidance for marriage.
More than 60 single Christians participated in the event, which started with the hymn "The Most Precious Corner." Teacher L, who was in charge of the dating center, talked about the big picture and the original goal of the event. She talked about a 37-year-old brother who served with all his heart but couldn't testify to his family because he was single. This made his family's conversion take longer. This brother's experience made L realize that resolving the issue of singleness and dating among older single Christians is not only a personal matter but also crucial for the church. So, she decided to open a marriage and dating center to help single Christians, especially those who were born in the 1980s.
Then, the organizer asked Teacher H, who has worked as a marriage and dating counselor for 15 years, to talk about how Christians should have a right view of marriage. He talked about how single Christians should set boundaries for marriage, as freedom without principles can only lead to downfall and pain.
He believed that Christians should use wisdom when choosing a partner. Sixty percent of the decision should be based on one's own will, 20% on parental advice, and the rest on consulting with the church. He used examples from biblical couples like Isaac and Rebecca, Adam and Eve to teach the audience several principles: marriage is ordained by God; both spouses must hold the same faith; intimate relationships should be built on a spiritual level, not just on a worldly level; and the faith should be passed on to future generations.
After the participants heard what the Bible says about marriage, they were led to the game section. This event included four small games: a self-portrait speech, in which participants drew a self-portrait on paper and showed their appearance, interests, hobbies, and mate selection criteria; a biblical knowledge quiz; a number grouping game; and a biblical love story drama performance.
The person in charge of planning the event said that these games were meant to help single brothers and sisters get to know each other quickly and show off their strengths and personalities so they could find good matches.
Finally, the singles wrote down information about the people they wanted to get to know better on a piece of paper and gave it to the event organizer to avoid giving out contact information indiscriminately.
