12 January 2017 | Utrecht, Netherlands [Madelon Comvalius / tedNEWS] More than eighty Dutch and Belgian singles of all ages gathered near the city of Utrecht on Sabbath, 10 December 2016 to be inspired and refreshed. The group included young students, single parents, widows and widowers, lifelong singles and divorcees. This was the second singles’ gathering organised by the Netherlands’ Family Ministries department, following the success of their first one in 2015.
In 2015 only 10% of the participants were men. This increased to 25% for this recent event. While not yet 50/50, organisers expressed delight at the significant improvement in the male/female ratio.
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Total refreshment
The theme of refreshment was visible everywhere – on name badges, goody bags, water bottles, lemon water, lemon cake, fresh salad in re-usable salad beakers, and on prayer notes. Even the workshops were refreshing: Refresh your creativity, Refresh yourself, Refresh your connections and Refresh your presence. A ‘Refresh’ band was formed for the event to take care of the music and singing.
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Even better than last time!
“My compliments, it was even better and more creative than last time,” wrote one participant on their evaluation form. Words like ‘inspiring’, ‘sociable’ and ‘relaxed’ were frequently used to describe the day. “I’m so happy I came!” said another.
“I loved every minute of the day!” said Karen Holford. “I’m not single, but I came away feeling blessed and refreshed. It was wonderful to experience such a creative and well-planned day.”
“It was a truly enjoyable day with laughter, fun, as well as honest conversations and discussions,” Torben Bergland reflected. “There are many singles in our church community. Yet, in a family-focused church, singles may at times feel a bit lonely. Therefore, I believe there is a need for events like this, where singles can enjoy fellowship and be nourished.”
‘We could not have done it without all our volunteers, who have worked so hard with such incredible dedication,’ said Madelon Comvalius, Family Ministries director in the Netherlands.
If you are interested in discovering more about Singles’ Ministry in the Division please contact Torben. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Esti Pujic, associate editor
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tedNEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division.