Serving Arizona Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Jan 15 – Feb 2019 • Vol 45 • No 1 • Est 1975
2019 Health & Wellness Issue! “The Unexpected Life is No Less a Life” Hope for Singles Shines Brighter in the Valley of the Sun By Karelyn Goins
“F
or me, one challenge of being 30-plus in the Church and single is [that] most activities in the Church are geared towards having an eternal family. This can make the Church one of the most isolating places to be when you don’t have that yet,” shared Erin Johanson, who attends the Gilbert Single Adult (SA) Ward. Johanson may feel isolated, and she isn’t alone. Many mid-singles struggle with their place in a family-
oriented church. But there is hope! In recent years, the Church has been expanding its programs and options for mid-singles. Being a single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a new concept. However, the number of Church membership included in this demographic has increased over the past generation, whether through death, divorce, or simply never marrying. The Church is recognizing the specific needs and strengths of mid-
Photo by Diane Forshee
Carmen Rodriguez, Sandy Porter, Benjamin Porter, and Gina Knudsen squeeze in for a picture at the ward luau.
singles as they differentiate from their younger cohort. While a single adult is technically any unmarried person 18 years of age or older, a couple of subsets have been designated within the Church. Young single adults, more commonly referred
to as YSA, are single adults aged 1830, and mid-single adults, or MSA, are single adults aged 31-45. Single Adult
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