We are often asked how successful friendsfirst is?
If you judge success by the number of marriages we've had then we are very successful. And if you add in the numbers of people making new friends (which is what some people join for) then it's even better
For more details of couples stories
> click here
|
Enhance your social skills!
Would you like to be better at meeting people, feel more confident and do it more often? We've teamed up with The Dating Doctor giving you preferential rates on a whole range of his services.
For more details.
> click here
|
|
|
Churches Newsletter January 2007
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
17th January 2007  |
|
 |
| Resources |
 |
An article for your church/parish newsletter
We know how busy church magazine editors are and also how some struggle to fill every issue. So here's an article to help encourage single people who want to be in a relationship do something about it:-
Made for relationships - we are made in Adam's image!
Books
I'm pleased to say sales of our book 'Risking Romance Again: Dating after Divorce' are going really well. Recent reviews include: Christianity magazine - January 2007 and Reform magazine - November 2006. One reader recently wrote with feedback about the book saying: "I found it to be a concise, well-structured and funny short book containing a wealth of wisdom and advice."
To order call 0121 427 1286.
New title coming up.... A resource on relationships for widows and widowers
We thought dating after divorce was complex! But try asking a widow or widower what it's like and you'll get another whole range of issues. A new resource is in our pipeline for helping widow/ers with these issues. If you have widow/ers in your congregation who might find this useful, please let us know. Email us at editors@friends1st.co.uk
Help your 'singles' mix and mingle/EVENTS update
Did you know there are lots of organisations running events specifically to help Christians mix and mingle with each other? It's the one thing many 'singles' want but they often don't know where to start looking. Why not ask someone in your church to search the net for local Christian events and organise a group to go along. If you'd like help to do this we'd be delighted to discuss this with you further.
We ran masses of events in the run up to Christmas and are kicking off the New Year with our very popular 'Social Skills' workshops in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol (3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th February respectively). These are suitable for people of all ages and are a great way for people to learn new social skills, gain confidence and have a great time. Please let people know about them by including the following text in your church newsheet:
‘If you're looking for a really great singles Christian event, then don't miss the ‘Social Skills’ workshops being run by friendsfirst. These workshops would suit anyone who is single, divorced, widowed or separated as they show you how to get the most out of the time you spend mixing and chatting to people in a social context. Workshops will be held in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol on 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th February respectively. For more info and tickets call 0121 427 1286.'
Click here for word document of the above which you can use to copy and paste into your church/parish magazine
Summer holiday
After the success of last summer's holiday which was SOLD OUT, we are again offering a great summer holiday dedicated to singles in the Isle of Wight. Know some of your parishioners who might be interested? Please let them know about it. For more details and feedback on last year's holiday, click here. |
 |
| News and Views |
 |
Come and see us at CRE in May
friendsfirst will be exhibiting again at the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park from 15-18th May. We'd love to meet you there. This is a great exhibition for Christian leaders. Come and see us on the Ground Floor-Surrey Hall Stand G69. We're planning a stand you won't forget!
Help I'm single - inside the life of a young singleton
As a vicar/priest or church leader you probably know what single people feel like. But just in case you don't, the following is an extract from an interview with one of our younger members that illustrates what it's like being a single Christian in a typical English church.
The views of a young Christian singleton
CRE Seminar for church leaders
If the above interview gave you new insights perhaps you'd be interested in the seminar we're doing with other singles organisations at CRE Wednesday 16th May at 2.45pm called 'Ignore us please, we’re single!'
'Why do 82 per cent of single Christians feel their churches are doing little or nothing for them as a group? With one in four households occupied by single people, why are so few to be found in churches? A group of Christian organisations invite you to a premiere event in the Dancing Brave Room (Ground Floor, Eclipse Pavilion) to inform and encourage church leaders and members engage with and support singles. In a relaxed environment, these groups will showcase what they offer by way of services, websites and events. Refreshments are provided. See CRE website for more info.' |
 |
| Encouragement - What makes friendsfirst different? |
 |
Many people tell us that making new friends with a view to dating is hard. When we started friendsfirst in 1999 local ministers told us they'd love to have something practical to be able to give to the 'singles' in their congregation who wanted relationships. friendsfirst was born and millions of our black and white fliers have been distributed enabling ministers and churches to tell people about our service. But is our service, or internet servces like ours, enough? This answer is quite clearly NO for many thousands of people!
As you know there are many people in your church who need more support - they need the personal touch - the support of someone who understands them and who can encourage them in their journey of stepping out to make new friends.
That's where we think we at friendsfirst are different and why you might therefore choose to recommend us to your parishioners.
We are in regular contact with all our members (through our dedicated membership manager - Wayne Exton) talking to them about their unique situation, their circumstances and most importantly encouraging them to 'step out in faith', to be brave, to contact other people, and to move out of their comfort zones. I'm sure all of this is familiar ground to you in dealing with people!
So many of the people who marry having met through friendsfirst tell us it was our support and encouragement that made the difference - that kept them going when they felt like giving up, that helped them widen their perspectives. Ron and Rowena's story is a good example of this - and they probably would not have even contacted each other without our support.
If you would like to read their story in more detail and please click here. There are lots more stories like this on our website - if you'd like to read more of them please click here. You never know someone from your church could be next.
If you haven't got the time to support your singles in their quest for relationships, then let us do it for you. It's what we love to do and why friendsfirst exists! Just give them our details and encourage them to get in touch. We'll do the rest! |
 |
|
 |
For more information about friendsfirst and our history, click here.
To view the friendsfirst team, click here |
 |
 |
That's it! I do hope you have and will find this email useful. We would love to hear what you think of it and of course if you have any suggestions or requests for the next edition please email us at editors@friends1st.co.uk.
Finally we know 1000s of vicars, priests and ministers support us - if you are one of them, huge thanks - we couldn't do what we do without you.
With warmest regards,
Katharine Gray friendsfirst Director
email: katharine@friends1st.co.uk phone: 0121 427 1286 web: http://www.friends1st.co.uk |
 |
|
 Back to main archive page
|
|
|
0121 427 1286 
