Background of CCS

The vision for a Central Indiana adult Christian singles conference began in September 1998. Was it a pipe dream? Was it another whim? Was it an impossible task? Or was it God speaking to a servant’s heart?

AOL’s Instant Messenger (IM) feature allows people to talk interactively when both are online. One Sunday night after this vision was placed firmly on my heart, I was talking with fellow Greenwood Christian Church (GCC) member Dave Fleener via IM. I told him about this idea that consumed me. He enthusiastically answered, “I want to help!” I told Dave I first wanted to make sure our ministers would support such an ambitious plan. I hadn’t told anyone else yet. The ministers certainly needed to be in the loop — and early.

The next day, I was briskly walking on my lunch hour in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Suddenly I heard someone yell out my name. “Debbye Butler!”

I turned. There stood GCC pastors Shan Rutherford and Keith Groves. My jaw dropped. Only 15 hours earlier, I told Dave that I planned to run this conference idea by the ministers. Suddenly there they stood, just blocks from the Monument Circle -- an icon of the Indianapolis landscape.

Was their lunchtime trek away from home base in Greenwood coincidental? I don’t think so. God’s master plan had begun. We huddled on the corner of Illinois and Ohio Streets, talking about the conference. Their eyes and voices lit up, reaffirming this was more than my own dream. God had planted this vision, this passion.

The “blueprints” began. I committed my ideas to paper for an official presentation. It contained statistics showing that 42 percent of the Indianapolis-area population is single; a preliminary draft of the program schedule; staffing needs; venue and theme ideas; lists of potential special guests and more. I contacted speakers’ bureaus, booking agents, and merchandise and service vendors to get cost estimates. I tried to leave no stone unturned. I checked Indianapolis calendars to learn what major events we should steer away from as we selected a date. I even had the unexpected but delightful opportunity to talk about the conference face-to-face with Christian singer/comedian Mark Lowry, whom I placed on my list of “potential name draws.” Even Mark seemed excited about the idea as he autographed the front of my book and wrote his agent’s contact information in the back.

God kept fueling the fire to keep the momentum going. At last, I was armed with enough information to make the presentation. Pastors Perry Anderson and Bob Harder met me for lunch at the same Indianapolis restaurant where Shan and Keith saw me passing by six weeks earlier.

Meanwhile, East 91^st Street Christian Church was launching Circle City Singles. They invited GCC’s singles ministry to set up a display at a spring 1999 event. Pastor Dave Degler told me they were celebrating God and promoting a book called Single and Content, penned by four local authors.

We attended.

We talked.

We teamed up.

Over 400 attended the Circle City Singles Celebration, May 1999.

After all, our goals were precisely the same: create ongoing, Christ-centered programming. Programming that would empower singles to understand their identity in Christ makes them complete. Programming that would call them to a discipline to Biblical basics in prayer, study, worship, service, intercession and living in purity.

Two dreams. One goal. And Christ was clearly at the heart of both of them. He drew the dots. Then He connected them.

What began with two singles ministries oblivious to each other’s existence until then and separated by miles of always-under-construction concrete roadways has blossomed into a wonderful partnership among several churches. Community Church of Greenwood hopped aboard as yet another sponsor church. Volunteers came from all directions and many denominations – Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Wesleyan and more. God doesn’t divide His people; He connects them.

We conducted our first group meeting in May 1999. The remarkable thing was that nearly every one of the 30 or so people who attended harmonically voiced a desire for a singles conference. Those voices finally reached the juncture where God united them. More dots. More connecting.

By the time the inaugural conference, ONE PURPOSE, took place on September 9. 2000 at the Murat Centre Theatre, it was the fruition of two years of nonstop work – almost to the day. At least, two years as we know it. God had this vision long before any of us. He just waited until the time was right. He summoned the creativity and talents of singles from several Indiana counties to make this God-designed dream a reality.

In addition to the conference, our Heavenly Father has steered the Circle City Singles leadership toward even greater things. The conference will be Circle City Singles’ hallmark event, but as we go forward, Circle City Singles will provide Bible studies (the first began in October 2000 at Greenwood Christian Church), workshops, community service activities and more. We've already staged rallies at several churches, hosted a New Year's Eve gala on Dec. 31, 2000 and a spring 2001 reteat. So much more is on the horizon! The potential is endless because God is our guide.

Circle City Singles is a recognized Indiana corporation (nonprofit paperwork has been filed with the IRS). It has a solid set of bylaws and core values based wholly on the Bible. Team members also have created an informative, exciting Web site with links to other interesting sites for singles. Singles ministries from all over Marion and surrounding counties are truly becoming one body in Christ, sharing unprecedented amounts of information, building friendships and strengthening the Kingdom. It could happen only with God’s hand at the heart of it all.