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The Austin American-Statesman Singles in the spirit: Ministry brings young Christians together with frank sermons on contemporary - issues By: Kim Sue Lia Perkes The band is rockin' despite being parted like the Red Sea on stage. They're forced to flank the communion table, where blazoned in gold it reads: ``This Do In Remembrance Of Me.'' Man, they say, Jesus is awesome. Every Tuesday night, more than 600 20- and 30-something single Presbyterians, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians and other Christians fill the pews at Hyde Park Baptist Church, clapping their hands to contemporary Christian music and listening to a Scripture- based message. Welcome to Austin Metro, an interdenominational ministry for young singles. It's part of a new breed of ministries that can be found in major cities nationwide, including San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. The groups are reaching everyone from regular church-goers to the disenfranchised in an attempt to show a Christian lifestyle can be fun, interesting and worthwhile. ``It's the largest singles event of its kind in Austin,'' claims Todd Phillips, 27, an evangelist and seminarian. The ministry began two years ago with 30 people, including Phillips, meeting in the church basement. He met his wife, Julie, there; they were married last year. Phillips uses sermon titles that sound more like the cover headlines of Cosmopolitan magazine. His latest: ``How to Be a Better Lover -- Part 2.'' But instead of divulging the secrets of erotic delight, Phillips offers another perspective: ``Whatever your relationship is built on, you have to keep doing it to keep the relationship.'' Beware the purely physical relationship, he says. ``If that breaks down, then the relationship breaks down. Sexual excitement wanes over the years,'' he said. It's not the kind of frank discussion young people get from the pulpit on Sunday. But they want and need it, Phillips said. ``Todd is awesome,''said Heather Sorrell, 20, a University of Texas student. The idea is to apply God into ``your real life,'' Phillips said. ``We did a series on God's bottom-line view of sex.'' And what is that? ``It'll take three hours to tell you,'' he said. That three-week series of talks proved popular. ``When we had the sex series, the tapes just flew out the door,'' he said, referring to the cassettes of his messages sold after every meeting. The church, 3901 Speedway, gives Austin Metro free use of its sanctuary. Inside, it's the sweet smell of success. Colognes and perfumes are blended by the blowing air-conditioning system, a recipe the olfactories can't miss. People wearing Gap jeans, Versace and Calvin Klein T-shirts sit next to those wearing cotton shorts and plain shirts. Dresses and high heels find their place among tank tops and sandals. ``You can show up in your workout clothes or your work clothes,'' Phillips told his audience. ``We just want you to show up.'' The Tuesday night meetings are free. The group raises money through the offering taken on Tuesdays and the sale of T-shirts and mugs. It also raises money through Metro Money, a program in which participating businesses and restaurants give money to the ministry when Austin Metro members make purchases. After every meeting, sometimes as many as 300 young people go to EZ's, one of the Metro Money sponsors, for a late-night dinner. Many of Austin Metro's followers heard about the ministry through friends. That's what brought Bill Hines, 30, to the ministry a year ago. What the UT doctoral student likes about the meetings is how people of different faiths can get together and celebrate their common belief in Jesus. ``It's all about being a Christian,'' said Michael White, 26, who works as a construction superintendent. ``It's a great place for singles to get together in a safe environment where they can get to know one another,'' said Kim Thomson, 31. Sarah Stedman, 20, an Austin Community College student, said Austin Metro gives her a chance to meet people like herself. ``It's really encouraging to me at the age that we are that there are so many singles in Austin that want to know about God,'' she said.
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