Category: Success Stories

Here are some of the stories couples who #MetOnCC have recently shared with us. Which stories have most inspired or encouraged you?

Marissa & Matthew

“After spending months trying to find my person, I came across Marissa’s profile. I wasn’t able to reach out to her at the time so I decided to send my number. It was the best decision I ever made. At first I was nervous but I wanted to meet her. Long story short, we fell in love at first meeting and since then our love grew and grew. 18 months later we got married on my Birthday!

Tips for other members. Be humble, it’s to easy to judge a book before reading it. No-one can know the ending without turning each page. So take the time to discover each other and find your path together.”

Debbie and Jerome

“Jerome and I met on Christian Connection back in March 2020. From there we connected on Facebook/Messenger so we could talk every day. After 2 weeks of messaging we started doing video calls. This was our only way of being able to talk/keep in touch during the Covid pandemic.

We did this up until the Covid restrictions lifted which enabled us to meet in person in the May where Jerome serenaded me at a local lake before asking if I wanted to share our lives together. Roll on to September when Jerome proposed on the Little Orme in Llandudno where he’d taken me for the majority of the day.

We were going to get married the following year in April 2021 but due to the Covid restrictions we had to push it back. Come July 2021 we tied the knot and are approaching our 3 year wedding anniversary this July.

During the time that we have been married we have had a lot happen….this year we welcomed our first baby boy to our family and we couldn’t be happier.

Thank you to Christian Connection otherwise Jerome and I wouldn’t have met and would not have ended up where we are today. Don’t give up on hope as God has the right person for you.

Debbie, Jerome and Ezekiel”

Shay and Sydney

“We met on Christian Connection. Talked for 2.5 months, then met in person Sept 22 and it was just great from there. He asked me to marry him in March 23 and we are getting married in Kenya in Oct 24. Amazing man.

Thank you Lord and thank you Christian Connection x”

Larry and Maria

“The most blessed time of my life. I remember back in 2016. I was sitting in my lounge and I said, ‘God I’m not a single man. I need a wife’. I was directed to get up and log on to Christian Connection. I met four wonderful ladies on the site. But one stuck out who eventually became My Wife.

I met Maria my wife she was the one that seem to take more of my attention. Maria and I have now been married for four years.

I can honestly say I am the most blessed man that walks on the face of this earth. She is an incredible woman. And the thing is, she had no intention of finding a new partner after her divorce. However, she felt led to go onto Christian Connection for one half an hour. 30 minutes. And in the window of time, I discovered my new wife. I am in love with her and I’m still in love with her. I love looking at her and listening to her.

I have truly been blessed.”

Inspired by these #MetOnCC stories? Read many more on the website here, or watch couples tell their stories on the Christian Connection YouTube channel. 

“No-one can know the ending without turning each page,” wrote Matthew, when he got in touch to share the story of meeting Marissa on Christian Connection. For every couple who first connects through CC there’s a journey of discovery – from first spotting a well-crafted profile, to saying hello to someone new through a wave or message, to starting that first conversation. When two people realise they’ve found something they want to explore in person and that something might lead to lasting love, we’re thrilled we could help! Each #MetOnCC story is a testimony to their willingness to step out in faith.

“I had just come out of a long term marriage,” says Amy, “I was looking for a safe place to meet people, and a friend recommended Christian connection. I then proceeded to download all the other apps as well, as a backup. But Ian and I met quite quickly after I downloaded it.”

I also was recommended by friend,” says Ian “and I did a very similar thing. I downloaded everything I had also just come out of a long term marriage, and I was looking for a Christian connection.”

“The difference between my profile and Amy’s profile was that I decided to overemphasise absolutely everything…” says Ian. “Mine was a biography of my life. I thought oversharing was the key. I went for as many posey, cheesy pictures as I could, thinking they were the best ones.”

Amy wasn’t so sure. “I swiped past Ian. I was like, ‘no thanks’. That was just because a couple of the first photos were a little bit too posey for me. What drew me back was the stuff that he’d written about his faith… I really loved that reading through his answers, it felt like what I would say as well.”

Their connection began when Amy sent a wave, and Ian realised she lived in the town he came from, though he was living hundreds of miles away.

“Ian was living in Dublin at the time, and I was in Hull,” remembers Amy. “He said ‘I’m going to be over in England at the end of November… visiting my parents, who live just down the road from you. Would you like to go out?’ It was going to be his birthday that weekend, and so we made plans to meet up on his birthday and go on a first date to Hull City, our local football team. We did what my dad likes to call side by side bonding. Where you don’t have to have that intensity of sitting across from each other and making lots of conversation, but just we went and did something together, and that was really lovely.”

“It was exactly what we both needed. It was such a good first date. That came after weeks of talking all day, every day, online. We just clicked from probably the first conversation. There were some days I went to work the next day after having chatted to Ian till one two in the morning. Every time we talked, I just felt so peaceful and so joyful, and it just felt so right.”

They both felt they had a strong connection.

“I think I knew probably from some of those very early conversations,” says Ian. “I think it’s very clichéd to say I knew from the moment I first set eyes on you, but I think it was the first couple of conversations. Once we started delving into each other’s hearts, I think that was when I really knew… this is the missing piece of the jigsaw that I’ve been looking for.”

Amy says, “I don’t remember ever having the thought ‘when will I know if Ian’s right or not?’ I don’t remember having a time where I felt like I just didn’t know him and choose him. And that sounds bizarre, because obviously there was a beginning, but, very early on it just was right. I remember texting a couple of my really good friends and saying, ‘This is my person’. I feel like I’ve known him forever.”

As their relationship developed, Ian felt the time was right to ask Amy to marry him – and he planned a big proposal.

“I asked a friend to chauffeur Amy to the church that we’d started attending. It’s a big, beautiful minster in the town of Beverley [in Yorkshire, England]. I contacted one of my friends in there and said, ‘Can you open it up on a Friday night when it’s closed?’ So I went in there hours before I was due to meet Amy, and I lined the Minster with candles from the back to the front. Lined both sides, and then I sprinkled rose petals. We had a song that that we’d had very early on – ‘I can’t help falling in love with you’. So I had that lined up… I was at the top of the aisle in the Minster, and the song was playing.”

“It kind of ruined all of our friends future engagements for sure,” laughs Amy.

They planned their wedding in the same beautiful church.

“Both of us have been married before,” says Amy, “and for a long time, I wasn’t sure whether I would want to get married in a church again… but having attended that church for a long time and felt really welcome there, and felt really at home there, it became a place that just naturally was a good fit.

“If you filled the place, you would need 1000s of people. We had just our closest friends and family, which was still a pretty decent number. In the end, it was a very rainy day, but it was really special and very ‘us’. We got an ice cream van. The main thing was that it was just really fun. So as much as possible, we played silly games, we had quizzes, we had food that was really ‘us’. After the service, my favourite food is croissant. So we bought the local bakery’s croissants and served pastries and donuts and Pimms after the service. It was really good.”

Since the wedding, life hasn’t slowed down.

“The year after the wedding has been quite eventful,” says Ian. “We’ve tried to tick all of life’s events off immediately! We have had a baby. His name is Joel. He’s a gorgeous little boy.”

“He’s just the most smiley little boy ever,” says Amy. “He’s so cute. Neither of us thought we would have children. That wasn’t an option in our previous marriages. So it was just a real joy to be on the same page as each other from the beginning… He was always meant to be, and we planned for him forever. So yeah, it’s been wonderful.”

Despite challenges along the way – including a serious road accident in which Ian was badly injured early in their relationship – they continue to find joy in life together.

“We laugh a lot together,” says Ian. “I think that’s one of the best things about life. We laugh a lot. Joel laughs a lot.”

“One of the best things is that this always feels like it’s meant to be,” he says. “This feels like we have always known each other. Like this is where we were destined to be. It feels like I’ve met somebody I’ve always known. It feels like I’ve met my best friend. I just love spending every day with Amy. I don’t get bored of Amy… She’s just a lot of fun to be with.”

Amy says, “I always go back to this Bible verse where it says that God gives you silver instead of bronze and gold instead of silver. Since meeting Ian, it is fun, but it’s the kind of fun that you feel really at the core of yourself, where you’re being fully yourself at last, and you’re free to do that, and you’re encouraged to do that. And then you have a little boy who is like that too. So that’s a real gift.”

They both have encouraging advice for single Christians who want to meet a partner.

Ian says: “Do your very best to be your authentic self. You want to spend your life being with somebody that you you are meant to be with, somebody that knows you for you, somebody that accepts you for you, somebody that loves you for everything that you are. You don’t have to settle. God knows who that person is. God is in your past, God is in your present, and God goes before you, and you can trust in that.”

Amy says: “Be willing to take some risks, because I played it really safe in the early days, and I set my location and distance, really, really tight to home. And I would never have met Ian if I’d have kept it like that. And I just happened to meet a very local lad who happened to live in Dublin, and that would never have happened if I’d have not taken that risk and and I think our relationship has has been like that too.

“We have been encouraging each other at different times to be willing to step out into some difficult spaces that haven’t felt always super comfortable. I love that quote from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, where they’re talking about Aslan as God and the lion, and they say ‘he’s not tame, but he is good’. I always think about that – even with something like dating – that just because it feels scary doesn’t mean it’s not right. So, I would say take the risk.”

WATCH #MetOnCC couples’ short stories here and in-depth interviews here

Enjoyed Amy and Ian’s story? Read more #MetOnCC stories from Christian Connection couples here

Join Christian Connection here

When Amy and Ian first met on Christian Connection they were living hundreds of miles apart. Using the distance to have deep conversations before they met in person, they built a relationship that has since involved a relocation, a beautiful surprise proposal, a game-filled wedding in a historic church and a new addition to their family. “One of the best things is that this always feels like it’s meant to be,” says Ian. “It feels like we have always known each other.”

“I can’t believe how much life has changed. I pinch myself every day” – Ian & Karen, our Christian Connection story

“We met online in August 2018 on Christian Connection. I had previously expressed that I would never try online dating, as you don’t know who’s out there, but I’m glad I took that leap of faith. Ian was the first and only connection that I made, after only being on the site for a matter of weeks. I liked the sound of Ian’s profile, which was down to earth and easy going.

Over the years, Ian had prayed that he would meet someone special, as had family and friends. One particular morning, Ian remembers having quite a long prayer with God. Among other things, he prayed to find that special lady to share his life with.

August 11, 2018, was a significant day for us. This was the day we met in person for the first time. From the moment we met, I saw a familiarity in Ian. We discovered during our first date that we had mutual friends and acquaintances. Unbelievably, I knew Ian’s sister and brother-in-law, from a past church connection. So began our courtship, which blossomed into a wonderful relationship. We’ve endured major life changes and many highs and lows, over the last six years.

We’ve enjoyed getting to know each other and our families, and growing together. Ian is the most genuine, caring and Godly Christian man that I never thought I’d ever meet. He is the gentleman that God has brought to me.

When Ian and I met, we were both in our fifties, never married and no children. God can match make people of any age – we’re living proof of that – you just have to be patient and have faith.

In August last year we marked five years since we first met. It was on that day that Ian asked me to marry him, and I said yes. He is so grateful that I did. We look forward to making many more memories together.

My tip for single Christians is to never give up and have faith (even when it’s hard). I know it’s a cliché, but Ian & I are living proof that it can happen. God’s timing is paramount. I was 53 when I met Ian. I’d never had a boyfriend before meeting him, and thought all hope was lost. I still can’t believe it finally happened. I can’t believe how much my life has changed – I pinch myself every day.

We discovered that we briefly met approximately 10 years earlier, but it was fleeting. Even though I knew his sister from church, I don’t think our paths would’ve ever crossed again without Christian Connection (he’s a farmer in a remote area). Our relationship can be summed up in 6 words: ‘The Farmer Finally Got His Wife!’ Thank you God and thank you Christian Connection!”

WATCH #MetOnCC couples’ short stories here and in-depth interviews here

Enjoyed Ian and Karen’s story? Read more #MetOnCC stories from Christian Connection couples here

Join Christian Connection here

Every Christian Connection meeting story is unique. For Ian and Karen, their connection meant a major life change: “I’d never had a boyfriend before meeting him, and thought all hope was lost. I still can’t believe it finally happened,” says Karen. They got in touch to share their encouraging story – and some beautiful wedding photos!

Sharon had decided to try CC after some personal recommendations: “I had two friends who had met their spouses on Christian connection, who both encouraged me to give it a go. I thought that would be the probably the only way that I was going to be able to find somebody. At church can be quite complicated and difficult.”

They were both clear about how to approach dating. Sharon says, “I think the most important thing for me was around being honest and being transparent. There was no point having a false sense of who I was, and I wanted it to reflect me the best that it could.” She also got some help with her profile! “My daughter took out about two thirds of the words and simplify that, which was probably a good idea.”

Andrew also took a practical approach: “I used my photos to indicate the types of things I like to do in life – doing DIY work around the house, dressed up a little bit more formal, and doing some snowboarding. So you get an understanding about who the person is in different situations.”

This approach caught Sharon’s eye! “I did notice all of his action shots,” she remembers, “And that his primary photo was warm and relaxed. He was very honest about what he was looking for, and what he didn’t want. There was no ambiguity. I got a very strong sense with Andrew about what he was looking for, who he was, and what he wasn’t looking for.”

Andrew was similarly impressed by Sharon’s profile: “You could actually understand what Sharon felt was important to her. I remember going through the whole profile and ticking the boxes…there was a lot of a lot of potential for a good connection between us.”

After reading Andrew’s profile, Sharon decided to make contact. “I waved at Andrew,” she says, “And then I got absolutely no response. For a good couple of weeks, and I couldn’t quite understand why there was no response whatsoever. What I then discovered was that he was overseas and hadn’t been checking in on his Christian Connection!”

Once Andrew responded, their connection developed. “We spent three weeks talking to each other online, which I think was really valuable,” says Sharon, “We asked a lot of questions around my kids, his kids, our previous relationships, our families of origin, our interests, our passions, we talked about church, we talked about our relationship with God, we talked about likes and dislikes, what we did for work. And then I thought that I should probably then communicate about the fact that I thought we should try and meet up.”

The first date

Andrew made plans. “I organised a dinner date,” he remembers. “It was at a wine bar. I was going to get the early but Sharon beat me there… I came to the wine bar, and there was Sharon and we had a great time. We spent probably a good three hours talking to each other until the wine bar closed and the staff said, ‘Could you please leave?’ A pretty good sign of a first date! We really connected almost instantaneously.”

“I was incredibly nervous,” recalls Sharon. “I did not want to make eye contact. He had said in the conversation that he had made decisions previously on other dates very quickly, within about 10 minutes. So I was waiting for that 10 minute mark, and to see whether we got over that, and whether he was staying. But he ordered the second glass of wine, and we had some food. And I thought, ‘No, this was going really well.’”

“I think you know, pretty early if you have a connection,” says Andrew. “You very quickly understand whether you’ve got that sort of that magical connection. And like we had it instantaneously where, yes, you really, really love each other’s company, and we were quite attracted to each other straightaway.”

Next steps…

Sharon describes how things developed: “Three weeks in after our initial date, we had gone down to the Mornington Peninsula. There’s lovely wineries, beautiful cafes, for a long weekend. And we spent that time really talking to each other about what we wanted in life, what we were looking for. We were both pretty honest about the fact we were looking for a very committed relationship. And we spoke about those things very openly over that weekend. And I think we both at that point knew that this was…

“A relationship that we could actually continue to build,” continues Andrew. “We spend a lot of time talking about values and life goals. By that stage, we found this natural synergy between the two of us…this natural sort of way that we could just connected straightaway. And we felt very, very comfortable with each other without much effort at all.”

The proposal – and the wedding!

“We were starting to have discussions about, you know, where is the relationship going? How would that work? And both of us really felt like, you know, this was this was the right thing for us,” says Andrew. “We started talking about marriage and what that meant and wasn’t too much longer before. I proposed the Sharon in a hotel…”

“The wedding was held in the same hotel that we got engaged in,” says Sharon. “It was a Rolls Royce factory back in the early 1900s in Melbourne. So incredibly beautiful, sort of 1920s Glamour… It was lovely to be able to just to pick those people that had done the journey with both of us when we were singles… Because we were getting married as older people, it was very much what we picked how we wanted it.”

“It really beautiful… a lovely day. We were absolutely thrilled and we couldn’t have asked for anything better,” says Andrew. “For me, and standout moment was actually completing our wedding dance. I’m not great at dancing so we got a professional to teach us, and we spent a lot of time practising. So, that was a lot of fun. It was awesome.”

Andrew and Sharon’s advice for single Christians who want to meet someone?

“Give it a go,” says Sharon. “Pray about it. But then step out in faith and give it a go and trust your instincts. Go with your gut. Believe in your capacity to find the right person for yourself and enjoy the process.”

“You’ve got to put yourself out there and be vulnerable,” says Andrew. “And you’ve got to be patient as well because it can take time. And for me it was a long time. But I think the other thing is just to be curious. You’ve got to actually open up a little bit be vulnerable and then see how it goes…”

WATCH Andrew and Sharon talk about their meeting story, wedding and life together since here:

WATCH more #MetOnCC couples’ short stories here and in-depth interviews here

Enjoyed Andrew and Sharon’s story? Read more #MetOnCC stories from Christian Connection couples here

Join Christian Connection here

“I was looking for a life partner. And I wanted to find someone who shared my faith and shared my beliefs. I heard about Christian Connection from a friend. I thought, ‘well, it’s pretty good way to find someone…’” When Andrew started out on his search he had no idea it would end up in an elegant first dance to his new wife Sharon. Find out how her wave to Andrew on Christian Connection sparked a lasting relationship…

“I liked his heart for God” – Leesa & Leigh, our Christian Connection story

It was the recommendation of his pastor that led Leigh to joining Christian Connection. “He actually met his wife through Christian Connection,” says Leigh. “I actually put it off for a little bit, and then it was a prompting from God…” Leesa says, “I was just curious to see, just to meet some new people and see who was out there… we crossed over because when his subscription was about to finish, I came on earlier through God’s prompting, so we really feel like God ordained that.”

When Leesa joined she was expecting “a fun way to meet people”. She embraced the experience: “You have to not take yourself too seriously. There’s a lot of people who aren’t interested and that’s okay… there are just a lot of beautiful people too, and I met one of them.”

Leigh found the process of creating his profile helpful in determining who he was hoping to meet: “It gave me an opportunity to reflect on who I actually am, and who I wanted to be, who I wanted to see my profile. I wanted to put myself out there and say, ‘Hey, this is who I am. And if you like me, you like me, if you don’t like me, you don’t like me’. A way to ward off people that aren’t interested in you, while also bringing in those people who are interested in you.”

They were both looking for very similar things in a connection. “The number one thing that I wanted people to know was my heart for God,” says Leigh. “I went on looking for someone who had a heart for God,” says Leesa, “And that’s what I wanted to reflect in my profile… that sense of humour in your profile, too, I think is important too.” Although the first thing she noticed about Leigh’s profile was that “he liked The Princess Bride. That’s our favourite movie.” But she also saw what she’d been hoping for: “I liked his heart for God… when I was looking for someone, first was a heart for God. Second was a big smile. And he had that as well. I just wanted someone who appeared warm and approachable… that was what I found in him.”

Leigh notes, “It’s not until you actually meet them in person, that you can actually get to truly know someone… my initial impression of of Leesa’s profile was that she was she was someone that loved God… I was really looking for someone to start off really friendship wise, and to see where it actually came from there…. And if anything, didn’t, then at least I gained a friend from it.”

They began their connection after Leesa made contact: “I’m not a first moves person at all. I was happy to wave at people. I was just waving at lots of people who caught my eye. And he was one of them. And we started a conversation.”

“A few messages that went back and forth on Christian connection,” says Leigh, “And then we gave each other our email addresses… We got through the sellable part of ourselves, instead of actually scraping on the surface. After a few emails, we found that things are actually getting on a deeper level.”

Their first date took place at a coffee shop. “It was really hot,” says Leesa, “I remember sitting in the sun, feeling really hot, but not wanting to move, because it was really interesting.”

“Even though I was having a good time, and I felt that we were making a making a good connection, my eyes are going from right to left in trying to think of what next to say,” remembers Leigh.

“I thought it was hilarious,” says Leesa, “because his eyes going like this, trying to think ‘what shall I say next?’ I could see the panic. It was hilarious.”

Their relationship developed. “I felt like I always knew he was special,” says Leesa. “I was talking to a few guys on a Christian connection, but he just really stood out to me. We had a lot of things in common. I just felt easy talking to him. And I also got a sense of the fact that God had sort of put us together. So I think that I knew that this was my person, if that makes sense. But I think it was something that grew as well.”

Leigh says, “After one of our dates, I got home and the question that was going through my head was ‘Can I see a future together with this with this with this woman?’ And the honest answer was actually, yes. That was really the defining moment.”

Things began to progress. “He actually told me he loved me in Maccas [McDonalds],” says Leesa. “I was I was feeling that, but I wasn’t ready to say it. So I was like, ‘Really? Are you sure?’ But then I’m like, Yeah, I love you too.”

“I couldn’t help myself. It just came out. I just blurted it out,” says Leigh.

They got engaged after Leigh planned a surprise. “I organised to go out to the Yarra Valley. We had a bit of a bit of a nice lunch, and maybe a couple of glasses of wine. And then we just went out right next to the vineyards. I got down on one knee… pulled out an engagement ring and proposed to Leesa. I actually was able to get her grandmother’s engagement ring. So I used that.”

“Of course I said yes,” says Leesa. “I could tell that God had just put us together. There was no way I was saying no.”

A wedding came next. “On the actual day we had a bit of a blast,” says Leigh. “I had my old pastor marry us, so that was pretty special.” Leesa remembers “we weren’t really fussed about our wedding day being perfect. It was all fun and games for us. We got married outside under a little pergola and then we had high tea. We just had our close family and friends there which was perfect for us. We didn’t want a big deal. We wanted to invest in our lives and our marriage, not one day. We had a great time.”

Since the wedding they’ve been adjusting to building their life together. “We feel like an old married couple. We’ve only been married just over six months… The kids get along really well, which is really lovely. We have a lot of family game nights. It’s just great. We adventure together and we do life together. We’ve got a dog and just got a cat…So that’s what our life is now.”

They also share an unusual interest. “We found out when we first started talking on Christian connection – and this is not normal – we both like zombie shows. So we’ve been watching a lot of shows.”

Leigh reflects on what they’ve found in each other: “Her sense of humour. That’s one of the things that I suppose drew me to her, but her honesty, her positivity, her sense of humour, her love of zombies.”

Longer term they hope to share ministry opportunities. “I can just see him either in a church or in a community and me supporting him with that maybe using my teacher degree,” says Leesa. “We just want to go wherever God leads us. And I think that’s on both of our hearts.”

They both feel that God has led them together at the right time, and look forward to what’s next. “Both of us actually had a bit of a journey with healing,” says Leigh. “Individually said to God, ‘I think that I’m actually ready to move on with my life’. Those promptings to actually get on Christian connection, they were definitely in God’s timing… Moulded us, transformed us into the people that, that God has actually wanted us to be. And because of those things, I really feel that we’ve actually got a connection and it’s actually drawn us a lot, a lot closer together and a lot deeper as well.”

Leesa adds, “We always say that if we met when we were younger, we might not have worked. I think we had to go through the journey that we’ve been through to be ready to meet each other. And I think that through Christian connection, God made that happen.”

WATCH more #MetOnCC couples’ short stories here and in-depth interviews here

Enjoyed James and Victoria’s story? Read more #MetOnCC stories from Christian Connection couples here

Join Christian Connection here

Before Leesa and Leigh met on Christian Connection they shared similar stories – both had been married before, both had children and both felt prompted by God to join just when they did. Following God’s lead, Leesa joined just in time to meet before Leigh’s subscription ended. That connection led to an unexpected declaration of love in a fast food restaurant, a wedding surrounded by family and friends and exciting plans for the future.

“It just takes one” – James & Victoria, our Christian Connection story

James was also intentional about what he was looking for. “I was coming out of a previous marriage,” he said, “I did want to remarry. And I wanted to be a Christian. So I thought, I don’t want to waste my time sort of fishing around on other sites. I know what I’m looking for.” He joined Christian Connection because to meet people who were “genuine about their faith.”

Their priorities for their dating profiles were similar: to “let people know that I’m serious about Christ. That was just really important for me,” said Victoria. “I liked the fact that talking about your faith was evident,” said James, “it was it was included in the process. … on some of the other sites, and there wasn’t always really a space for that.”

Victoria had only been a Christian Connection member when she contacted James: “She sent me a little heart a little like,” he remembers. And he was quick to respond: “After I’d read the profile, I looked at the profile picture, and her eyes really stood out to me. So yeah, it was it was God and her eyes. She loves God and she has nice brown eyes.”

Victoria had noticed James’s photos too: “naturally we all just look at pictures first, don’t we?” she said. “It was evident that that God was in his life, that was clear, but then there was also a coolness…. And also, it was good looking at his pictures… I liked the variety of pictures.”

Their connection accelerated when they began a long message exchange one New Year’s Eve: “Once our conversation was flowing… this serious element of God, but with jokes and laughter in. It was just so nice, wasn’t it?” remembers Victoria.

“I remember laughing a lot,” says James, “Laughing out loud reading messages, just sat in my flat by myself. Getting ready for getting ready for church because it was a there was a New Year’s Eve service. And not wanting to go because I was just enjoying the conversation so much.”

As their connection developed, they spent hours on phone and video calls. Victoria remembers: “We were on the phone for long because James is from London and I was from Manchester, so it wasn’t as quick and easy for us to meet… It was really nice that we had that time, connecting rather than finding this activity or finding that activity. It was just kind of raw, in terms of that getting to know each other.”

Some time passed before they became ‘official. “I didn’t just dive in,” says James, “We were getting to know each other, we were weighing up: okay, is this person right for me? We’re having a good time we’re going on dates… But is this the one I’m going to commit to?” He concluded she was. “I was thinking about the things I want in a woman and Victoria was ticking all of these boxes. I decided: okay, I’m committed to this and I’m ready to say that. I wasn’t obviously 100% sure that Victoria was going to say yes…”

Their relationship deepened and James decided to propose. “I decided Valentine’s Day 2023… I had to start getting things in order, but still be quite mysterious about it…. getting approval of the ring without her knowing. So I asked her daughter – my stepdaughter – what she thought of my ring choices and ideas.” And he began to plan the big event. “I’d also spoken to good friends of ours… And I told them what my intention was. So we were going to go to the restaurant I first took her to the first time we dated in Manchester… We had invited them with the under the guise of a Valentine’s Day double date.”

Victoria recalls her surprise. “I remembered that I needed to say yes because I was so… swept up in the moment. As women we naturally we think about what’s that moment gonna be like when someone proposes to me… And then I was literally in that moment, and it was just… Oh my goodness.” And she adds, “Of course it was yes.”

They decided to get married in August. Victoria took the lead in designing the day. “It was an amazing day,” James says. “What it struck in me was an appreciation for her creativity… there were a couple of times I turned to notice, ‘I’m at my wedding. I’m having such an amazing time, and it’s my wedding!’ One of the best weddings I’ve ever been to – and it’s my wedding.”

Victoria recalls, “Like James said, I’m quite creative. And I really just loved it… I go 100 miles an hour, whereas James is more like 20… I’ve got a daughter. Being a single parent, you just learn to just get on with things and get things done. And that’s something that I’ve had to learn – allowing James into this space and to do things and you know, to just let go a little bit. The wedding was beautiful – over the fact that it rained. It rained pretty much all day…”

Since their marriage, James says “one thing I’ve really enjoyed is being intentional about still dating… that Victoria has coined ‘protected time’. And at least once a week, we will have some time in the week where it’s our time.”

“It was so important, because we’re both so busy,” Victoria adds, “James teaching, and I’m in social work and such demanding jobs… I thought I was going to struggle much more with that adjustment… But I actually love it…one of the things that that I really enjoy about being a wife is serving my husband, like, I love to do that.”

They both enjoy making their life as a couple. “I love that I serve God with my husband… just being in church and as worshipping God together, you know, as one before God,” says Victoria. “We serve in ministry together.”

“Being in a Christian marriage, where God is in the centre,” says James, of what he appreciates. “We invite the Holy Spirit into our home, with prayers with worship… day to day, we can we can talk about God, we can talk about Scripture. Just having that comfort in my home, in a Christian marriage, in a Christian household, I really appreciate that.”

As for the what they would advise single Christians who are looking for a lasting connection, Victoria says, “It just takes you finding that one. You don’t need loads and loads of great potentials. It just takes one and give it a try… And don’t give up hope. God wants to bless and God wants to give you the desires of your heart. For some people, it just seems like that is the longest journey but you just don’t know what’s around the corner.” She adds, “I was just at the point where I said, I just want what God wants for me. And I think it was a genuine release into God – do what you want to do. And I think that’s when it allowed James to come into my life.”

James advises: “Keep God involved. Keep him at the centre, walk with Him. And if he says Stop, stop, if he says Slow down, slow down, if he says go left, go left. Just really try to listen to the wisdom and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Be intentional. Know what you want.”

He also suggests some honest reflection: “If there are things you’ve got to work on, work on them… spend some time genuinely working on yourself, getting your house in order, getting your relationship with God in order. And then so when you step into your new dating relationship, you’re bringing, you’re bringing something to the table, and you’re adding value to that person’s life, you’re being a blessing.”

WATCH more #MetOnCC couples’ short stories here and in-depth interviews here

Enjoyed James and Victoria’s story? Read more #MetOnCC stories from Christian Connection couples here

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Going from a simple online ‘like’ to a long distance relationship and a marriage is no small feat! When Victoria first noticed James on Christian Connection she knew what she was looking for and what she wanted her dating profile to say about her. Before starting her search, she was certain of one thing: “I decided that I was going to be intentional and join a Christian dating website.” She knew of Christian connection and thought, “let me give it a try. What have I got to lose?” She had picked the perfect moment to connect with James, though she didn’t know that when she joined. James had been a Christian Connection member for some time: “My journey was a bit longer… On and off. In fact, when I was coming towards the end of using it, that’s when Victoria and I met…”