FAQs

Gladness of Heart is a matchmaking and dating service for members of The Episcopal Church.

Any single Episcopalian can join! We work with individuals of all genders, sexualities, and orders (clergy are welcome!) Like The Episcopal Church, Gladness of Heart is always trans-inclusive.

We are not in the practice of verifying membership at the door of our events. But, please know that if you participate, the expectations of other members will be that you are Episcopalian, likely to convert, or part of a denomination with whom we hold full communion status (most often ELCA in the US). In addition, because this is a service tailored for Episcopalians, all participants should be comfortable with The Episcopal Church's current teachings on reproductive rights, LQBTQ+ rights, and racial justice. 

Speed Dating

Our virtual speed dating events are invite only. This allows us to keep the space intimate and enjoyable for all. Please submit an application and you will be contacted by the GoH team to confirm your invitation. We run speed dating events regularly so if you don't get an invite to the first one, we'll keep you in mind for later events.

Matchmaking Services

Participants in our matchmaking pool will have an onboarding call with a matchmaker when they first join the program.  At that call we will discuss preferences, relationship styles, and other relevant details. Out of this conversation will emerge a member profile. Matchmakers will regularly review the profiles of eligible members to create matches. If you are matched with a member, you will be contacted by our team to set up a virtual first date with your match!

In Person Events

At large, church-wide events Gladness of Heart will organize a meetup for members. This will provide you with an in person opportunity to socialize and network. Stay tuned for announcements!

The nominal fee we charge for our services helps us cover our operating expenses and overhead. This goes towards things like having a Zoom subscription, paying event facilitators a fair wage, and covering licensing fees with the government. In addition, charging a small fee helps us minimize last minute cancellations or no shows on the part of event attendees improving the experience for everyone. Finally, charging for matchmaking services on a subscription basis allows us to ensure all participants in our matchmaking pool are actively choosing to be there. This cuts down on errors where a match may no longer be interested in participating but they never let Gladness of Heart know.

If paying the fee presents a clear financial hardship, please reach out to info@gladnessofheart.com so that we can discuss alternatives. Our hope is that the cost is low enough to allow for the broadest amount of participation with the lowest level of attrition from our events.