Ministering to the Young Single Adult - Elmer Towns

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will appear around the drinks. You leave anonymous and again lonely,expecting no future out of this. 10The future is an unknown commodity with which one lives. The young singleadult never knows what tomorrow, next year or the next 20 years will bring. However,the future is in God’s hands. If it is his plan for the young single adult to marry, he willlead a couple together. There is no age limit to marriage. As Dr. Narramore says, “True,there is an age span when most girls become married. But there is no age at which onemust marry.” 11Some solutions to help the young single adult solve the problem of planning foran undemanding future are:1. The young single adult can attach himself to some responsibility (Christianservice) that can help to mature him spiritually. Service is one of the uniqueopportunities of the young single adult. See Chapter 7, “Young Single Adults—TheirOpportunity.”2. Plan your life as a “single” person. The young single adult who is past theperiod when most of his friends are married should make definite plans to accept and behappy in the role of a single person. The young single person who considers everymember of the opposite sex as a potential mate only frustrates his life and lives in keendisappointment. He should accept his state in life and adjust accordingly.However, young single adults can never tell when their “Cinderella” or “PrinceCharming” may appear. A bachelor boss and a widow secretary, or two close friends atchurch, may one day fall in love. Then they can invest the rest of their lives as a family.3. Make wise investments of finances. Since the young single adult has fewerfinancial obligations than his married con-temporary, he will have more money to spendand invest. He should invest his money wisely, for one day he may marry. Then, whenthe economic struggles of life come, he can enjoy the happiness of a family. Also, heshould remember his church, the denominational work, and other Christian organizationsin his financial giving. The young single adult, who has no children or family, shouldespecially remember Christian organizations in his will and/or life insurance.V. THE MEANING OF WORKWhat is the purpose of work to the young single adult? The young married adultworks to take care of a family. If the couple has no children, the wife can work. If thereare children, the wife may not be able to work and there are more mouths to feed on thesingle salary. The married young adult has to work; others are dependent on him. At thesame time, the single adult may earn the same wage as the young married adult; yet theyoung single adult could live as well as the young married adult on half the income. Doesthe young single adult work for more money or for a better standard of living? The young
married adult may have to be a “moonlighter,” yet we seldom hear of a single personholding down two jobs.What is the meaning of work? The married man has the enjoyment of seeing hisearnings further the education of his children, increase the happiness of his spouse or seehim safely through retirement. Who will enjoy the “fruit of the labor” of the young singleadult? Is working for more money a satisfying aim? Is working for an advanced positionsatisfying? How can the young person put purpose into his work?Some solutions to the problem of the meaning of work are as follows:1. The young single adult should make sure he is in the right job. Because of thefinancial burden of supporting a family, the young married adult finds it difficult toswitch from one job to another. When the young single adult finds himself in the “wrong”slot in life, he should quit. Since he is more mobile, he has the opportunities to pull uproots and to go somewhere else and look for employment.2. Be ambitious. The young single adult should determine by God’s grace tobecome the best person possible within the limit of his capacities and talents. There aretwo faults that lie with ambition: (1) Being under-ambitious, some do not attempt a workin life commensurate with their abilities. As one said, “The worst thing in life is notaiming high and missing the mark, but aiming low and hitting it.” (2) Being overambitious,some try to do more than they are capable of doing. The young single adultwould be wisely counseled to attempt projects in keeping with his abilities. However, ifthe young person is going to “stray” from his abilities, he should try to do more than he isable rather than doing less.VI. FINDING MEANING IN LOVELove is considered more than physical contact. We are attempting to get at truemeanings. Love is not sitting in the back seat of a car “necking”; nor is love only physicalintercourse. Love may be expressed thus among marriage partners, yet love has a deepermeaning. Without going into a long and involved discourse on the nature of love, we cansimply say that: (1) Love is giving ourselves to the one we respect and in that gift findingmeaning, satisfaction and intimacy. (2) Love is sharing our life with the one we love andin that sharing relationship giving ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. Andeverything we give, we receive. (3) Love is communication of meaning where there is ameeting of meaning in the act and art of love. (4) Love is respect and admiration for theone we love.Too often love is making the person we love an extension of ourselves. That is,the boy wants the girl to be everything he has desired in an ideal girl. He tries to make herthe kind of cook, housekeeper, and companion he desires. This is not love. In true love,the boy respects the girl for what she is. He respects her for what she has to offer to themarriage. She should be respected for what God has made her. In true love and
Page 2: Ministering to theYoung Single Adul
Page 5: ContentsIntroduction1 The Enigma of
Page 8 and 9: young persons. The college student
Page 10: CHAPTER 1The Enigmaof the Young Sin
Page 13 and 14: A twenty-eight-year-old stenographe
Page 15 and 16: IV. CLASSIFICATIONThere are many ki
Page 17 and 18: There seems to be a lack of desire
Page 19 and 20: FOOTNOTES1. Judy Klemesrud, The Chi
Page 22 and 23: Who Is the Young Single Adult?I. PR
Page 24 and 25: What do you think is Ann’s main p
Page 26: adult . . . Probably it is safe to
Page 29 and 30: Other reasons are given that young
Page 31 and 32: FOOTNOTES1. Paul B. Maves, Understa
Page 34 and 35: The Young Single Adult and His Prob
Page 36 and 37: 3. Wants to succeed in his work but
Page 38 and 39: Although more people live in high-r
Page 40 and 41: in the family got married, left the
Page 44 and 45: communication, the two find a minis
Page 46 and 47: causes tension within the individua
Page 48: CHAPTER 4Helping Young SingleAdults
Page 51 and 52: Counseling has many approaches: cli
Page 53 and 54: isolation from other men. The separ
Page 55 and 56: elieve. Since the gospel has two ma
Page 57 and 58: He may do what you say without unde
Page 59 and 60: him. He needs to know that he is no
Page 61: CHAPTER 5Program in the Church fort
Page 64 and 65: When discussing programs and curric
Page 66 and 67: . The planned events of the church
Page 68 and 69: them to a potential host or hostess
Page 70: d. Helps to keep the newly married
Page 73: CHAPTER 6Young Single Adults-A Chal
Page 76 and 77: therefore neglect them. Some church
Page 78 and 79: Authentic Christian fellowship will
Page 80 and 81: same-”girls are looking for a man
Page 82 and 83: unique needs and characteristics of
Page 85 and 86: Young Single Adults—Their Opportu
Page 87 and 88: IV. PARTICIPATING IN THE WORSHIP SE
Page 89 and 90: The young single adult can serve in
Page 91 and 92: BibliographyAllen, E. “Who Wants
Page 93 and 94:
Leypolt, M. M. “Teaching-Learning
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