the church's forgotten

i have come to realize that there is a section of the population that is greatly ignored and forgotten about when it comes to churches. i am realizing this due to being in the group. churches love programs. we have programs for everything.

we have the christian ed program that covers kids from nursery to 6th grade. in 6th grade we hand them off to youth ministry where they stay till twelfth. after that they go off to college for four years. churches are very happy to welcome them back into the fold and also others that have moved into the area. if you have married, great they will through you in with some other young marrieds that maybe have very young children. if not, that is okay because you are still young and full of vigor and churches want to help you mature in whatever you mature in.

but realistically, by the time you are 25 to 30, you should be married so it is time to move into family small groups and sunday school where you learn to become a better parent, husband, wife or all around good person. then you are helped when you have kids graduate college and hopefully are in church leadership as you look to retirement. all well and good(well it may not even be good)...

except...

me. i haven't gotten married. i am in my thirties. i need community just like anyone else, but nobody knows what to do with me. there aren't many like me, so maybe we can just be ignored. maybe there is a 'singles' group that has people mostly in their 40s and 50s who have never married or are maybe divorced. i don't fit there so nothing happens.

i am the church's forgotten.