CSI - a "different" singles organization

Would you believe a singles organization with these requirements?

Can you believe in a singles group that says out loud that they don’t believe in sex outside of marriage (#6) or in abortion (#7)? And it turns out that they’re serious about it.

It’s CSI.   RARTL recently exchanged e-mails with Mark S. Gietzen at "The Christian Singles Info-exchange," which claims to be the largest and most successful Christian singles organization. Mark is the director and has been with the group since its inception.

RARTL: Do prospective members really read your requirements and do they agree with the need to respect life from conception to death?

Gietzen: Based on our feedback, (unfortunately not all of it is positive) certainly a lot of people do read our Eligibility Requirements and challenge them. We have been threatened with legal action and worse.

One recent caller, about a month ago, was a middle-aged male from the sound of his voice. He called to "inform" us that he was joining with the UNLIMITED membership, and that he was "lining out" (excluding) Item-7 from the Eligibility Requirements. He informed me that he is a Baptist Deacon, and that we had no right to tell him what to believe in. I politely told him that there were over 1000 Christian Singles Groups in America, and that he should spend his money in a group where he fit in better. He didn't want to be in any other group but ours, and he was fuming mad that we refused to issue a member number to him. (Note: The vast majority of Baptists that we encounter are strongly Pro-Life and supportive of our mission and of all of our Eligibility Requirements.)

RARTL: What prompted the originators to state respect for life as a requirement, given that it's mostly something that people deliberately don't talk about?

Gietzen: Well, CSI was born in Wichita. Carrie Nation's blood still flows in the veins of a lot of Wichitans. (Think, ax, saloon, prohibition, alcohol, December 1900) Is it any wonder that Operation Rescue reached its pinnacle here on our streets in 1991? I think not. Wichita is the undisputed "buckle-of-the-Bible-belt".

(I wasn't born here, but I sure like it here. Don't get me wrong, I like New York too. I was born and raised on a farm in North Dakota in a German Catholic community, one of 15 children. I'm to only one who didn't turn out very well, but I'm still trying.)

Anyway, the saloon made famous by Carrie Nation is literally a stone's throw away from where the original CSI 12-member Board of Directors met. Also, I had a lot of say in the matter, but the Board of Directors was 100% for the Pro-Life requirement.

RARTL: Mark, what is your title with CSI? I know you are the editor of the newsletter, but what other hats do you wear?

Gietzen: I am the "director" of The Christian Singles Info-exchange. It would not be proper to call me the owner, as the organization actually belongs to the members who use it.

In addition to this job, I am the President of The Kansas Republican Coalition for Life, and am also the author of the book "Is it a Sin for a Christian to be a Registered Democrat Voter in America Today?" (Available on Amazon. COM, ...back cover note from Joe Scheidler and Dr. Willke.) This book has been the topic of a couple of Radio & TV shows (Hannity & Combs) in your area.

RARTL: Your organization is all over the U.S. Are there any members in the Rochester, NY, area? Have there been any matches, any weddings of members in our area?

Gietzen: The only marriage that comes to mind involving a New Yorker who has given us permission to print and release their story is Mick & Deanna Corder. They are featured in our Spring 2000 Newsletter.

Due to privacy and security concerns, we do not release information about our members publicly unless the members specifically give us permission to do so. You may have noticed that profiles are not released on the internet, rather they are shared only with other members who are potential partners, and then via first class mail.

RARTL: Thank you, Mark.

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Do some of the facets of the dating game leave you wanting to find a different game? In addition to looking into other local methods of meeting people, you might want to check out the CSI website www.christian-singles.org   and take a look at their newsletters and their processes. They do protect your privacy and your ability to do all the decision-making. If you still have questions, give Mark and e-mail or a call.

He can be reached at 1-800-869-2500 or mark@gietzen.net

Their street address is:

The Christian Singles Info-exchange
5575 South Mosley Street
Wichita, Kansas 67216-3631

 Author of this article is Anne LeBlanc at Rochester Area Right to Life Committee, Inc.