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We’re pleased to promote this event planned by friends of the blog Sharon Harris and Matt Bowman (bios below), and featuring our own Kristine Haglund.

This is not your regular singles conference. While singles conferences have adopted more educational, service-oriented, and think-tank approaches in recent years—with Silicon Valley, Boston, and Northern Virginia singles conferences as notable examples—most of the time the idea of a singles conference conjures up either the spring break vibe of hundreds of singles scoping each other out at Duck Beach or the awkwardness of singles getting together in a gym to try to meet a special someone while dancing and drinking fruit punch. Basically, singles conferences revolve around creating situations in which singles are encouraged to meet, flirt, and date, and that underlying motive often seeps into all the other activities.

But what if rather than holding a conference designed to “solve” singledom, we instead held a conference designed simply to understand it? The growing number of singles in Mormon congregations is not simply a Mormon phenomenon; it’s happening across American culture, and raises several questions that Mormons need to wrestle with: Do we feel like single people are a part of the community, and fully treat them as such? Are singles wards helpful, or do they contribute to singles being out of sight, out of mind? Do singles and married people know how to talk to each other? (Back to the awkward fruit punch conversations.) What is singles’ place in church leadership? Do we realize that there are single people of all ages and all classes in the Church? How can we best treat them as individuals, given the Church’s teachings on the family?

different kind of singles symposium, a day-long event on Saturday, May 16 for both single and married members of the church to consider the state and role of singles in the LDS Church today. Organized by Matt Bowman and Sharon Harris the symposium will host Clayton Christensen, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Kristine Haglund, and Sharon Harris as speakers as well as a panel discussion of leaders. All who are interested are welcome to attend (open to those both married and single). With over 50% of its membership as singles, the New York, New York Stake is poised to host a conversation around these questions. To that end the New York, New York Stake Relief Society (made up of 65% single sisters) is co-sponsoring akind of singles symposium, a day-long event onfor both single and married members of the church to consider the state and role of singles in the LDS Church today. Organized by Matt Bowman and Sharon Harris the symposium will host Clayton Christensen, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Kristine Haglund, and Sharon Harris as speakers as well as a panel discussion of leaders. All who are interested are welcome to attend (open to those both married and single). Registration is free (!) Even if you won’t make it to New York, please participate in the conversation via this 10-minute survey and pass it around.

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