The sixth 24+ Connect Unificationist Singles Retreat organized and led by the Blessing and Family Ministry was held June 7-10, 2018 in the beautiful coastal town of Aptos, California. Over 50 single young adult Unificationists 24 years and older from around the country gathered to connect with one another and learn about the value of creating healthy relationships, productive communication, and Blessed Marriages filled with true love. The retreat offered a valuable opportunity, in particular, for many young Unificationists who are looking for hope, education, and inspiration about creating a Blessed Marriage in the future.
One participant of the retreat shared:
“I’d recommend this retreat to anyone who wants to forward their search for a significant other. You discover where you are at, what’s been in your way, and what you are looking for, while being surrounded by amazing people.”
Participants heard Divine Principle-based relationship education from second-generation Life Coach, David Young. During the presentations, participants were given time to share their insights and inspirations with each other. They also heard testimonies from Blessed elder second-generation Unificationists who have navigated challenging matching processes. In addition, participants had lots of fun exploring the beach, shops, and cafes in the beach town Capitola, playing board games together, and chatting around the fireplace.
Other participants shared:
“I would recommend this retreat to anyone that hasn’t done the program. The environment of the retreat was completely supportive of wherever we were at in our lives. It was authentic, fun, and empowering.”
“I am incredibly grateful for the experience the staff were able to provide. They were able to meet the needs of an extremely wide range of people and experiences. For the first time I very much felt like there was a support team in place that was adequately able to talk to about anything and everything related to the Matching and Blessing.”
The 24+ Connect Retreat plays a crucial role in reaching the 24-35 year old demographic of our movement who are looking for a program that addresses such an important experience in their life, the matching and Blessing. The retreat even drew participants from other nations, such as Europe, Japan, and Korea, allowing America to support other nations. The difficulty of finding a match for an increasingly older generation of young Unificationists is not just an American challenge, but a problem faced by our international community. The 24+ Connect Retreat allows for America to connect young people around the country and the world to each other in an effort to create more happy and healthy Blessed Families.
