Glasgow is a diverse and multicultural city, and because of this so is our singles ministry. Our mission as given by Jesus is to go into the world and seek and save the lost, regardless of career, relationship status, or life experience. We believe that we can make a difference in the world and that our singles ministries play an important part in our church family.
We are single adults who have dedicated our lives to Jesus Christ and his mission. Our single adult ministry consists of people in a range of different life situations, some have careers, some are students, some live with family, others on their own, they are men and women and encompass a wide age range.
Christian Singles Ministry – Who Are We?
There can often be a stigma in churches that single people are of lesser importance or value than married people or those with children, as a lot of the time churches tend to focus on married’s and children’s ministries rather than that of singles. Sometimes people feel pressured to give an answer for being single – ‘when are you going to meet someone and settle down?’.
The view that singles are less important or that they are ‘married’s waiting to happen’ is simply incorrect and it can be very discouraging to people in our churches who are single either by choice or through circumstances beyond their control (if indeed there are any we can control).
Our singles ministry is passionate about bringing people together to support one another, no matter their situation. We want to encourage each person to follow God to the best of their ability by helping them learn more about who he is and what he wants from us.
What Does The Bible Say About Single People?
Is it God’s will that everyone should get married?
The first instance of marriage in scripture is in Genesis, where God created Eve from Adam and they met, naked before each other. (Genesis 2:25) We are told that they were not ashamed, as sin had not yet entered the world. From that instance and onwards there are many stories of people being married, and there are laws given to God’s people that protected women in marriage, as by law only men inherited property and could sustain themselves into old age. In historical tradition, getting married has been seen as necessary for the protection and welfare of women, but as the world has modernised and society has changed, the feminist movement has grown such that women can be just as independent as men in many respects. Thus the need for women to marry in this way has faded, and in the Western world, everyone can enjoy the freedom to stay single, support themselves, or marry whomever they want, for whatever reason they find.
Like with many issues and challenges we face, the Bible can give us guidance and teach us wisdom but it does not tell us definitively whether a marital commitment would be good or bad for everybody. This is because it is dependent on each person, their convictions in the Lord, and their own situations and challenges.
The apostle Paul speaks a lot about the topic of marriage and remaining single in his first recorded letter to the Corinthians in the Bible. He says that he can only offer his own opinion on the matter, and his judgement is that if you have never married then you are best to remain as you are. (1 Corinthians 7:25-26) It is important to note that he says these things “because of the impending crisis” which was the persecution of Christians by the contemporary religious and political authorities, where Christians were being tortured and killed for believing in Jesus. However, it is also important to note the other advice Paul gives about the situation of marriage and remaining single, as this can still be very relevant for today.
Paul says that those who are married are concerned about their spouses and how to please them, whereas the unmarried person is concerned about how to please the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:32-35) This is not to say that married couples do not focus on pleasing the Lord, but Paul makes the point that within a marital covenant there can be many responsibilities and challenges that are not present in singles lives, which enables Christian singles to be more wholly devoted to the Lord.
Perhaps you are a single Christian and you desperately want to be dating, or be married.
How Do We See Ourselves As God Sees Us?
There is no wrong in wanting these things for your life but, as with all desires, we encourage you to apply caution and wisdom in guarding your heart. Sometimes we can focus on wanting to change our situation or status so much that it becomes an idol to us that takes priority over our dedication to God.
If we want something without paying proper regard to what God would want for our lives then we make this desire more important to us than God’s will, and this is the idolatry we are warned against. (1 John 5:20-21) It is easy to look at dating or married couples around you and want to have what they have but all blessings can come with trials of their own as well.
It is prudent to continue to seek God’s Kingdom first, and allow the Father to provide the good things in your life as you have need. (Matthew 6:33-34)
When we look to Jesus, our saviour, and the founder of our faith, we remember that he was single and remained unmarried for his entire earthly life. The Bible describes one ‘bride of Christ’, his church. In describing the church as a bride, the marital covenant is used as an example of the kind of relationship all Christians are to have with Jesus, and as such we are to focus on pleasing him first and foremost.
Finally, we want to give you encouragement that God has good things planned for you, whether this is a spouse or not. (Jeremiah 29:11)
How Do We Meet And Learn?
We meet on Sundays at 3 pm in the West End for our church service in which we share worship, prayers, and sermons or lessons based on a variety of spiritual topics. We sometimes have special Sunday talks, and we will hand out leaflets for these in public spaces. If you live or work in the Glasgow area you may be coming to this website from having been handed an invitation by one of our members, if so – Welcome, and thank you for following up!
We are Christians who believe that God has a love and hope to offer everybody in the world, and we are passionate about our outreach, sharing these things with everyone we meet. Each of our church members is equipped in teaching the Bible principles with individuals as well, so if you are interested in knowing more about what the scriptures say about God’s love and the hope we have in Jesus, please contact us and we can arrange a time to talk together.
Local Weekly Single Events
At the moment our student ministry and the younger members of our singles ministry together form our ‘Nexus’ group. The word nexus means ‘the central link or connection’, and the purpose of the group is to provide a space where people can connect with others who are in similar life situations, especially if they are seeking a Christian connection in their life.
We have a range of activities within the Nexus group that are open for any and all who would like to join, whether single or student, studying the Bible or not. We believe it is important to stay connected to one another and to build strong friendships together.
During the pandemic, the Nexus Group has a weekly online Bible discussion using Zoom, which is hosted by one of our members on a topic of their choosing. We believe it is important for people to be able to express their thoughts, opinions, and perspective on things in a safe space while using their own life experiences and lessons to help others.
Our aim is to encourage an open and informal atmosphere for people to share their thoughts and talk about topics they may not have discussed with others before; for example, one of the topics we have previously looked at is ‘When Love Isn’t Loving – Manipulation in Relationships’. We often find that the topics most in need of discussing are the ones we wouldn’t usually talk about.
We aim to have two Nexus events every month – one which is Bible-based and promotes discussion, and one which is activity-based and promotes social interaction.
During the pandemic, we have moved our meet-ups online so we use Zoom for our Bible discussions and quiz nights, a card gaming app to play games, and Watch Party for watching films together. Once we are allowed to see each other in person again we look forward to BBQs, trips to the countryside, meeting up in coffee shops, and more, but we plan to keep using online platforms so we can connect with people who cannot meet us in person.
Do You Do Any Work Within The Community?
The love of God inspires us to love others, and in our city alone there is a great need for this in reaching out to those less fortunate like the homeless that we see on the streets every day. Some of our church members have previously been involved with Glasgow City Mission, volunteering at their evening drop-in service, helping prepare and serve meals to those in need and to encourage the guests who visit. Moved by these experiences, the charity effort Bags of Hope – Glasgow was set up which provides bags of essential hygiene and emergency items to those living on the streets. The Nexus group has been able to distribute many such bags around the city and hope to do more once we are safely out of lockdown.
We have also participated in community litter pick-ups where we meet in a local public area and pick up rubbish in order to make spaces more family-friendly for the local people. Our most recent effort was in the East End at Molendinar Park.
What Other Things Can I Be Involved In?
The Glasgow Church of Christ is linked with a wider body of churches throughout the UK who host events throughout the year. Everyone is welcome to attend these events, whether committed Christian or not, and they are a great place to meet other single people and to learn more about God and our calling in him.
One of these events is the yearly European Singles Retreat, last hosted in November 2019 by the church in Rome, Italy. The theme was on ‘The Eternal City’ and it allowed singles from all over Europe to enjoy fun and fellowship together while reflecting on our eternal citizenship as Christians. The most recent event was the International Singles Devotional on 29th-30th May 2020, held on YouTube with the theme ‘Striving as One’ where people from all over the globe joined online to worship, share the good news and messages from around the world.
Please get in touch if you are interested in attending upcoming events for singles.
