Single, married, divorced, separated or widowed; you’ll find people who fit all relationship statuses in most churches, including those whose partners do not attend. But how inclusive is your church community for those who are attending on their own?
The Single Friendly Church Network helps churches to become places where single people feel welcomed, valued and included. St Mary’s Church in Long Ditton is one of the churches in the diocese that has been part of the network for a few years.
“There are lots of folk who come to St Mary's on their own,” says Revd Dr Kuhan Satkunanayagam, Rector of St Mary’s, “and, in acknowledgement of this, we became part of the Single Friendly Church Network.
“The network looks to value single people of all ages and circumstances and to see them empowered to participate fully in the life and ministry of the church.”
To be part of the network you are asked to complete a five-step audit, which helps increase your understanding of what a Single Friendly Church looks like, recognises what you are already doing well and identifies specific areas for improvement.
Kuhan continues, “When we did the audit it was pleasing to note that we were doing most things already and only needed to tweak the language we used in a few places.”
St Mary’s was included in the video below that explains more about the Single Friendly Church Network. To find out more about how you can join the network, head to the Single Friendly Church website.