SRW is coming back to Canton this fall!

Successful Relationships Workshop
at Canton First Friends Church
Fall 2012 - Sunday nights
details to follow
firstfriends.org

This week at Sunday in the Park

Join us.
Bring a friend.
Make new friends!

Sunday in the Park

What: Sunday in the Park (fellowship, fun, Bible study)
 
Who: Single Adults 35+
 
Topic: "One Is a Whole Number" 
 
When: Sunday afternoons  (weekly thru July 22) - fun at 4:00, group starts at 5:00, done by 6:30
 
Where: at the Arboretum Park (about half-way between Whipple & Cleveland Avenue on 38th Street, NW in Canton). We will meet in Shelter #7 (except July 1st in Shelter 8)

Weekly schedule (something like this):
   4:00pm - outdoor games ( corn-hole, croquet, bocce ball, frisbee golf, volleyball, etc.)
   5:00pm - refreshments/ice-breakers
   5:15pm - worship time (pray, sing, etc.)
   5:35pm - presentation on the topic ("the talk" by Craig Henry, others)
   6:00pm - table talk (picnic table discussion groups)
   6:30pm - closing prayer
   * perhaps a walk around the park before or after

Link to flyer: http://pastorcraighenry.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/sunday-in-the-park-flyer.pdf

Two Cincinnati area events coming up

Successful Relationships Workshop
at Montgomery Community Church (Cincinnati)
Weekend format
Friday, June 1 - Saturday, June 2
513/489-0892
www.mcc.us

Becoming a People Person
The Courage to Connect
at Hope Church (Mason, Ohio)
Sole Purpose singles class
Sunday, June 3, 9:00am
513/877-2130
hope-church.org

Question #1 - Qualities You Desire in a Friend

I surveyed nearly 1000 Christian single adults and asked them 8 questions. (I was doing research for my doctoral dissertation, which resulted in conceptualizing and implementing SRW).

The first question I asked was,
What qualities do you find most attractive in a potential friend? (list your top five)

The top ten responses to this question were as follows (with totals of votes for each category):

Men's votes:
1. Christian 109
2. Honesty 97
3. Sense of humor/Fun 77
4. Understanding 71
5. Common interests 62
6. Communication 56
7. Intelligent 46
8. Positive 40
9. Interesting 36
10. Loyal/Faithful 34

Women's votes:
1. Sense of humor/Fun 352
2. Christian 309
3. Honesty 308
4. Understanding 262
5. Communication 173
6. Trustworthy 132
7. Common interests 122
8. Friendly/Outgoing 91
9. Positive 90
10. Loyal/Faithful 90

Notice the differences between the men’s scores and the women’s scores and we see some interesting trends.

First, I thought it was interesting that, in spite of the general assumption in our society that women are more religiously inclined, that to Christian single men having spiritual common ground in their friendships is most important while for the women surveyed, it comes in second behind the trait of having a sense of humor and being fun to be around.

It was also interesting that intelligence (#6) and being an interesting person (#9) make the men’s top ten traits, but they do not for women. Women rank trustworthy as high as sixth place while that trait does not appear in the men’s top ten. Likewise, being friendly and outgoing ranks eighth for women but are not in the men’s list.

When the men’s and women’s answers were combined, it became apparent that there are four traits that are significantly more important to Christian single adults: fun and laughter, spiritual compatibility, honesty, and understanding. (It should be noted that the composite scores are somewhat skewed since more than twice as many women took the survey than men.)

Composite of men's + women's votes:
1. Sense of humor/Fun 429
2. Christian 418
3. Honesty 405
4. Understanding 333
5. Communication 229
6. Common interests 184
7. Trustworthy 162
8. Positive 130
9. Loyal/Faithful 124
10. Friendly/Outgoing 120

copyright 2012, Craig Henry

SRW recommendations from last time

SRW is every Friday night through March 2nd.
Brochure and Online Registration here:
the-chapel.org/adults/singles

Here are a few recommendations from singles who attended the Successful Relationships Workshop last time.

• SRW is something every single person should attend... and more than just one time!

• There was an abundance of information that I can take advantage of.
  

• I now have a better insight into how I have made bad relationship decisions. I have learned some methods to help in this area.
  

• I learned to not be afraid of conflict. I now understand that conflicts are normal in relationships.
  
  
• The Talk-It-Over group after the teaching was great!
  
  
• I discovered that I need to set stronger boundaries, even it means being assertive when it comes to keeping the relationship healthy.
  
  
• It was great meeting so many Christian singles from different churches.
  
  
• I got to put many of the ideas immediately into practice in our small group and during the fellowship time.
  
  
• I attended this workshop years ago and it changed my life and my relationships in so many ways. My favorite part was "the mulch pile." LOL.
  
  
• I decided not to force relationships and to "let love alight on me."
  
  
• I learned a lot about how the opposite sex thinks.
  
  
• I need to learn patience and trust God with the future of my relationships. ("In His time.")
  
  
• I realized that I need to heal from my broken relationship, to get to know myself, and to develop more strong friendships (of both genders).
  
  
• I need to make the spiritual dimension a bigger part of my relationships.
  
  
• Pastor Craig kept it interesting and fun. He is a caring, empathetic speaker.
  
  
• I am learning to be a better listener.
  
  
• Thanks for holding this workshop. My goal is to be more concerned about what I can do for others and less on what they can do for me. Love involves helping someone become all they can be.
  
  
• Making relational choices with your head as well as your heart, that's a new concept for me!
  
  
• If I would have learned all of this when I was younger, perhaps I wouldn't have married the wrong person.
  

Register early and save on your registration fee. A complete brochure with all the details and a registration form is posted at the-chapel.org/adults/singles