Church Offers Fellowship to Singles

Woodside Bible Church is building friendships and hoping relationships will bloom through its new singles ministry.

“The church saw a need and we are responding to that need to make sure everyone is included in the life of the church and there is a place for all to serve,” said Jeff Hartman, coordinator of the Adult Fellowship Group at the White Lake campus.

The ministry is less than six months old and has been broken up into two groups: Focus for ages 40 and over and Impact for ages 28 to 39. Husband-and-wife team Max and Gina Chu lead the Impact group, while Hartman and his wife, Paula, lead the Focus group.

“I, myself, am a widow,” said Carol Ruscoe, Woodside member and participant in the Focus group. “I’m always looking for avenues to form and grow friendships. In some ways it’s a support group, and prayer is one of the ways we support each other.” 

The group is currently reading Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them, a thought-provoking book about relationships. “We go through pages and discuss,” said Ruscoe, a White Lake resident for 20 years. “It’s a really good relationship book with a lot of practical applications to life.”

At a time when economic hardships are prevalent, the singles try to create events that will not hinder participants from joining.

“Our group went bowling one time, we had game night, we’re planning a potluck and we plan to go to the movies,” said Hartman. “There are events every six weeks or so. The neat thing about the church is there is a larger group of people at the Troy campus. When their group plans an event, they invite all the campuses. Everyone is welcome to come and join in.”

While the ministry is intended to build relationships, it is not necessarily intended to romantically match couples.

“I think one of the things we’ve expressed to people is that we aren’t woodsidematch.com,” said Hartman. “The purpose is for people to realize who they are in Christ and that there is a place to serve. Through companionship, you can grow closer to God. If people get together, that’s great.”

The Impact group has attended city events and local parks.

“A couple of the members are also very active in cycling,” said Max Chu. “We’re not out to match people in (a romantic) manner. We’re out to match people with Jesus Christ. On the flip side, if they are looking for someone special in that way, it provides a wonderful resource.” Chu says the main focus is to help single adults become integrated with the rest of the church and find fellowship within the community.

“If people are interested in what’s going on, swing by,” he said. “Everyone is welcome. We’re here for you.” 

Woodside Bible Church has six campuses in southeastern Michigan, and the White Lake campus has been active for around four years, said Hartman.

“I started going (to Woodside) about 3 1/2 years ago,” he said. “It’s grown exponentially from 150 to 700 (members), and we’ve increased the types of ministries within the church.”

For more information, email singleswl@woodsidebible.org or visit www.woodsidebible.org/whitelake.