Mission Statement
We offer a safe environment and community for Single Christians to meet, enjoy each other’s company, learn from each other, and to grow as disciples of Jesus within the larger VCC Community. In that general environment of meeting together, our hope and prayers are to create a place where all can learn how to be loving and encouraging to one another and be examples of the love of Jesus to each other. Our goal is not to create a Singles Only Group. Our goal would be that this group would be involved with others of our church community with the focus on being an integral part of our church as a Single Christian.
Please read the Values and Group Guidelines below. Click here to read/download 6 Values of a Singles Ministry on these are based.
Meeting Times
The VCC Singles Group will meet on a monthly basis. In the future, more meetings, events, and activities may be added.
This would and can only come about through participation of all involved, not just from the efforts of the overseers and other leadership from VCC that would be involved.
Values
- To Love the Lord Our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
- To Learn how to walk with Our Lord and King Jesus, Who gave His life for us.
- We devote ourselves to study God’s word together and individually, but this is not another Bible Study Group.
- We are accountable to Valley Christian Center Albany, Oregon.
- We discourage consumerism.
- We facilitate fellowship.
- It will be shepherded by a plurality of diverse leaders.
- For those who decide to marry, it will produce godly marriages.
Group Guidelines
Group events and meetings will be coordinated or overseen by Kent Gross, Debbie Gross, and Tom Bartunek. Others interested in becoming part of the Overseers of the Single Group, will be considered based upon the Senior Pastors approval. All events and meetings will be with a group focus, so that no 2 people of opposite sex will be alone. This allows for a safe environment and a chance for all participants to get the most out of our time together.
If dating is something that happens because of common interests or even romantic pursuit, our guidelines are that a minimum of 4 people (one couple and two singles of the same sex, or two couples) would go out together. The term "double-date" could apply in this scenario. Or a couple would be part of a larger group of people. This is not to hinder possible companionship, but to keep things godly and safe, until those two interested parties may be serious about marriage.
If marriage is of interest and a possibility, then marriage counseling would be a requirement to continue within the singles group. Any married couple could continue with the group, especially if they had started with our singles group.
Events and activities could include game nights, dinners, movie nights, community events, church wide community support events, guest speakers, Bible Studies, prayer nights, VCC Single Group sponsored events, etc. All activities and events are for the benefit of all and would include all participants input, in effect a vote.
For the sake of safety, any divorced or those from broken relationships are encouraged to have gone through, Divorcecare, a Divorce Recovery Group, Called to Freedom, been involved in a support group for more than 2 months, involved in counseling with a pastor or certified counselor, or other. We want to ensure that those individuals that have come from any broken relationship, especially those who are still grieving, have a safe place to be part of a community of loving people so they can receive peace and enjoy the community.
The VCC Singles Group will be self-supporting, and self-governing with pastoral oversight and blessing.