Our discussion boards are going well. Hot topics include 'Christianity and singleness' which thousands of people are viewing; discussions about 'who pays for the first date', and lots of people sharing their favourite reading material. If you haven't signed up and had your say, then don't delay - it's free and easy to register! Click here to sign up.
Two correspondents from the The Times Newspaper recently did an article on the big players in online dating - and friends1st.co.uk was amongst them (even though we are NOT an online agency despite having a website). If you missed seeing the article in print (Jan 12th 2007 - Times Supplement) click here to read it online. We weren't surprised to read lots of negative comments about online agencies - it's why we are not online - and why we know our personal 1:1 service makes all the difference!
Our 100th member got married recently. I think you'll agree it's quite a milestone - it's certainly one we're really proud of - not that we judge our success that way of course - because lots of people make new friends as a result of their membership with us and that is equally important. In our last newsletter we told you about 3 couples (Christine and Peter, Janet and Barrie, and Graham and Helen) getting married on 6th October. They all had marvellous days - and you can see pictures of them on our website. Click here to go directly there.

Whirlwind romances only happen in novels.
Twelve months after the death of his wife, Bernard took the plunge. He joined friendsfirst and started contacting lots of people. Bev joined in September 2003 . She was one of the people Bernard wrote to.
They first met in a busy restaurant. They were engaged on their 2nd date and married in 6 months.
If you still think whirlwind romances only happen in novels then think again.
If you are wondering whether to join friendsfirst, don't delay any longer - you could well be the very person someone else is looking for.
Call our Membership Manager today on 0121 427 1286
It all begins with a single call.

Is the church you attend attractive to your local community - The facts about singleness - something to make you think!

Did you know that about 7 million people in the UK live alone today? That's 3 times as many as 40 years ago. This is likely to increase to 11 million by 2010.
The proportion of one person households in the UK is now 31% (going up to 45% in urban areas) and it's predicted that between 37% and 50% of the population will soon consist of unmarried adults. Think about that for a moment and then think what your local community is like.
Singleness - whether that's young, unmarried, separated, divorced, widowed, or chosen singleness - is here to stay and it's a big issue in our society. We must wake up to this issue as businesses and politicians are beginning to do.
Only a very small percentage of our churches have any singleness programmes (compared with 20% in America). In fact we don't debate the issues, teach church leaders about it, or have staff assigned to work with single people compared to how we resource children, youth, the elderly or married people.
And yet 35% of adult church attendees are single and if the population growth figures are correct, neglecting singles and their needs is going to have a very dramatic effect on church attendance - or much more importantly, the ability of the church to reach out and evangelise/reach single people.
Isn't relationship at the heart of what God wants for us? And if so, shouldn't we all be doing something about this issue?
So what can you do? Don't despair. If you look around your church and see lots of single people (of any age in your congregation) how about getting them together - and organising things for them to do together - you'll be amazed at what happens, how your church could be transformed and how your life could be affected. Don't wait for your church leader to do something - you too can make a difference to many people's lives. If we here at friendsfirst can help, please don't hesitate to ring us for a chat.

"The trouble with obsessive self - maintenance is that, while it might play a part in attracting a man, it is also a sure-fire way of getting rid of one." Jenny McCartney

Finding a soul mate is a natural desire for all of us - and being a Christian doesn't make any difference to that desire. However, as a Christian how we go about our first date will be different and there are some key things to remember. No doubt you'll be a bit anxious and perhaps excited about whom you are meeting and you'll be wanting to find out all about them. Here are some good dating questions to ask on a first date and some things to remember as a Christian. Click here to read the rest of this article.
If you'd like to be part of an organisation that could lead you to finding new and special friends, then call us NOW on 0121 427 1286.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this newsletter and have found food for thought. We look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes

Katharine Gray

friendsfirst
email: editors@friends1st.co.uk phone: 0121 427 1286 / 0207 100 1220 / 0117 911 4344 / 0115 871 8704

web: http://www.friends1st.co.uk