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Group attracts singles from wide area
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Saturday, December 27, 2008 10:11 PM EST
“This is first about friends,” said Roxie Mills of Owosso, a member of Community Christian Singles. The group meets at 7 p.m. every second Thursday of the month at Caledonia Township Hall, 135 N. State St., Corunna.
Sometimes a speaker is invited, sometimes a video is presented with discussion following and sometimes the evening involves breaking into small groups and discussing a variety of topics relevant to singles. Always, the evening concludes with refreshments and time for fellowship. A social event is scheduled for each month, usually on a Saturday evening.
“Improv Thing,” a comedy crew that preforms skits from themes suggested by the audience, visited December's meeting.
“I needed to laugh tonight,” Mills said after the comedy crew had finished. “That's why I came, and I'm glad I did.”
Mills said she heard about the group a while before she had the courage to come to a meeting. She kept coming back after her first visit and has been part of the group for several years.
On New Year's Eve, the group will gather for a party taking place at Salem Lutheran School, 520 W. Stewart St., Owosso, with parking in the back of the school. Anyone attending is asked to bring a favorite snack and plan for an evening of activities and games. Beverages will be provided. A welcome is extended to all area singles.
Future activities include dinner and bowling in late January and dinner followed by a Flint Generals hockey game in March. In February, the group will meet in DeWitt for a an evening with other singles groups. Card games, volleyball and pizza will be part of that evening.
Community Christian Singles has been meeting for several years, and not only draws singles from around Shiawassee County, but also from communities such as Flint, Bay City, Saginaw, St. Johns, Grand Blanc, Haslett, Lansing and DeWitt.
“The group started with 25 to 30 people. We had 50 or 60 tonight,” Mills said.
Past activities and upcoming events can be checked out at www.communitychristiansingles.com. The web site includes photos of past events like rafting, camping and a visit to a butterfly house.
The group has been successful enough that organizers are in the process of helping to start similar groups in Flint and Alma, organizers said.
Other activities are branching off from the group, such as Bible studies and a project the group calls “Shoebox Ministries,” which focuses on volunteer efforts and a helping hand outreach for those in need of completing tasks they cannot do alone.
The group began as a project of an area Bible study, and much planning and work went into its organization before the group began meeting.
“We try to provide a safe environment for people to take part in social activities and meet new friends,” said Mike Enlow, one of the original organizers of the group.
“We like to think of ourselves and encouraging and strengthening singles in their walk with Christ,” he said.
“A lot of singles are looking for an alternative to the bar scene where they can feel safe and enjoy each other's company.”
Enlow said that the group presently is made up of singles in the 40 plus age range, although all ages are welcome, and includes adult singles who are divorced, widowed and never married.
A leadership team plans the events and is looking into drawing up by-laws.
Enlow said the leadership team would like to eventually have an advisory group of pastors and business people.
Roger Schwab of Laingsburg has been attending the group activities for several years and said that he has enjoyed being part of the group.
“This is an opportunity to learn about other people and learn about ourselves.” he said. “We meet a lot of interesting people.”