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Manny Vidal's vision showed him that the Church had a large open door where many people are welcomed, but then he saw a large back door, also open, and people walking out.

He noticed that these people looked hurt and confused because they did not feel accepted. These people were the older single and the 'single again' people of the church.

Manny took this vision to the Senior Pastor of Paradise Community Church - Pastor Ashley Evans - and shared the keys he felt God had laid upon his heart. Immediately Pastor Ashley saw it's Godly potential and need, and after prayerful consideration I, Pastor Mark Elmendorp, was approached to pioneer a group that would help these people find a safe place where they could come and feel comfortable.

I was a little unsure at first if this was my calling, but God confirmed to me that my destiny included ministering to those who had been 'let down' and hurt. Thus a very exciting venture was birthed.

Jesus said, "it was the sick who needed a doctor", and these are the people that Thirty Something ministers to. At the first meeting we had about thirty people attend and we all had a great time. During this meeting God clearly spoke to us about our motto at Thirty Something:

"UNDERSTANDING THE GOODNESS OF GOD
AND BEING LOVED AND ACCEPTED BY OTHERS"

This motto has not changed and we believe we are a group where people can come and sense this.

This motto is the sole foundation of Thirty Something. We have since grown to a regular attendance of approximately 200 people per week.

Our foundation Scripture is 1 Peter 4:7-11…

7But the end of all things is at hand;
therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
8And above all things have fervent love for one another,
for "love will cover a multitude of sins."
9Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
10As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another,
as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.
If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies,
that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
Amen.

This Scripture speaks about being serious with God's business and really practically loving people. We believe everyone at Thirty Something has a role to play and that we can have fun together. When we do it this way it always results in Jesus Christ being exalted.

When we first began we would run with one spiritual meeting and one social meeting alternately. It seemed like a good idea but in actual fact we found that the social meetings actually detracted from the group in momentum and in numbers. Therefore we only have a social meeting once every four months.

I believe that this is the singularly most important reason that Thirty Something has stood the test of time and is continually growing:-

WE ARE SPIRITUALLY BASED AND NOT SOCIALLY BASED.

Most programs for singles are socially based, the rationale being that if someone can find a partner they will be happy.
We don't believe that, because for some people finding a partner would be the worst thing that could happen to them.
We believe that that people need to find Jesus and then they will be happy. We also believe that as a person seeks the kingdom of God first then they will find fulfilment. They don't need a companion - they need to get close to God.
The social needs of the people are met during the week when natural friendships develop and groups of people meet together. This way they can enjoy a whole range of people's company
and not just the company of one person.

We advise people not to jump too quickly into romantic relationships because too many times we have very emotionally vulnerable people get into a relationship while they are still healing from past hurts and traumas. These relationships are doomed from the beginning and tend to take the couple involved back to base one. All the good Thirty Something has been to them has usually been destroyed, and sometimes we don't get another opportunity to help again which is why we feel strongly about people being ready for such relationships.

The following list is just some of the practical areas Thirty Something has to offer. They are in no particular order of importance and hopefully will help you in establishing something awesome in your church.

1) We have a Godly committee who are all extremely committed to the motto and philosophy of Thirty Something.

2) We serve the vision of the greater church and the senior Pastor's vision before we serve our own vision.

3) We aim and work hard at establishing a good reputation with every other department of the church.

4) We have praise, worship and anointed interesting speakers every week.

5) We supply supper, tea and coffee so people can mingle and get to know others every week.

6) We have seven Life groups that meet fortnightly where people can get personal ministry enabling us to effectively pastor and care for them.

7) We have quarterly testimony nights where people tell of the goodness of God and what He has done for them. These nights would be some of the most successful nights we run.

8) We run a fortnightly prayer meeting where the needs of the group are brought before the Lord.

9) Twice a year we run a Divorce and Separation Recovery Course.

This is a 13-week video series that is extremely effective in being able to minister to people who find themselves in these unfortunate circumstances.
The wider church community has shunned these people
and we have found this course gets people back on their feet again.
We have seen many people come to Jesus and join Thirty Something
as a result of this course.
If you are interested in knowing more about this course please contact me.

10) We do not tolerate gossip or judgement of people.

11) We have a yearly overnight camp.

12) We take the names and addresses of new people and contact them in the week after they attended so that they feel welcome. We have a welcome team that look for new people and try to integrate new people into the group by inviting them to other activities.

13) We encourage people from other churches to remain loyal to their church, only visiting us on Saturday nights for our meeting.

14) Each year we have a Christmas Break Up Dinner that Thirty Something subsidises only costing the individual $10. This is a formal dinner, which really caps off the year.

15) During the Christmas break time, we still provide weekly opportunities for people to get together. These are social outings that people can come to if they wish.

16) We have a crèche each week so that parents can be in the meeting without any distractions.

17) Although Thirty Something ministers especially to those single and 'single again' we also have numbers of married people and warmly welcome those interested.