Diane and Jonathan 

Four months ago, Jonathan and I originally connected on facebook, of all places! We met in person at my friend’s ordination service, which was held at the church where he is serving as the youth minister, Masonboro Baptist Church. We spent some more time together and finally decided to make our relationship official on New Years Eve at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I had just broken up with someone else, so I wasn’t sure that I wanted to pursue a relationship, but we started e-mailing back and forth and quickly found that we had a lot in common.

Jonathan is from Eden, North Carolina, and I am from Mooresville, North Carolina. We are both pursuing ministry as a career and love working in the local church and sharing the love of Jesus with others. We both studied Social Work in college and enjoyed our college experience. Jonathan graduated from Appalachian State in Boone and I graduated from Campbell University in Buies Creek. I am currently in seminary at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, and Jonathan graduated from the Gardner-Webb Divinity School in 2009 and has worked as a youth minister for the past three years.

We don’t believe that it’s a coincidence that we met when we did and we are enjoying getting to know one another better. Although our relationship is long-distance, we are confident that we will be able to maintain it with God’s help and guidance. Our friends are already talking about the future for us, but we are just enjoying dating for now. Our story is a simple one, but God orchestrated every moment and we are so grateful that He brought us together in His timing! — Diane McClary, Raleigh and Jonathan Hale, Wilmington