I attended a national conference for singles at Ridgecrest, NC. We had an incredible time connecting with the Lord, His Word and other singles. There's just nothing like being in the Blue Ridge Mountains. When we arrived at the conference center, we were told to be wary of bears, especially at night. I, personally, had never encountered one, but someone from our group had a couple of years before. You can certainly rest assured that kept I started keeping one eye on the lookout for bears at all times.
The conference typically lasted from Friday evening until Monday morning; however, some of the attendees chose to leave on Sunday night after worship. I had never considered the implications of driving alone on long-distance trips because being disabled I never travel alone. But I was reminded on Sunday night of the conference of the hazards, especially for women, who travel alone.
We were busy playing Minute To Win when the campus security guard came asking for the whereabouts of the conference coordinator. We could tell it was something serious so we called the coordinator. Someone had encountered a bear. No, not face-to-face. Yes, with her vehicle. No, not on campus. Yes, on the interstate. What?! On the interstate?! We were all shocked that a bear would be on the interstate.
Much to our surprise, she wasn't 10 minutes away, 20 minutes away, or even 30 minutes away. She was well over an hour away. Apparently, the vehicle in front of her hit the bear first. Then, she hit the bear. And then, the vehicle behind her hit the bear. No one was injured, saving the bear. There wasn't much left of him. When she called the conference center for help, we discovered that she was actually closer to family than to the conference center.
We aren't sure why she may have called the conference center rather than family, but the fact is; she did. How reassured she must've felt knowing there were a group of people willing to help her.
The point of this story is to indicate how much singles rely on other singles. In our Singles' ministry, we have a ministry called "Singles Helping Singles". It's a weekend that we take to serve each other. We are often busy about serving others, but rarely do we designate a time committed to serving our own. I am often encouraged by the tremendous turnout of our single men and women who give their time, money, and efforts.
I'd like to encourage you if you are single to find an active singles' ministry. If there is not one close to you, prayerfully consider starting one. The single population is now greater than the married population (51%). If our congregations reflect those statistics, can you imagine that many people coming together for the cause of Christ? All it takes is someone with a heart for singles and issues they face. That truly is the "bear necessity".
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