EDMOND—Herbert W. Armstrong College students and Philadelphia Church of God singles from Edmond and around the world flipped the dating roles March 21-23 for turnabout weekend. The ladies asked for, planned and hosted a variety of entertaining in-person and online dates.

In the church, the biannual dating tradition began at Ambassador College under the late Herbert W. Armstrong as a way to help singles appreciate the efforts of their dating counterparts.

“I appreciated the turnabout weekend and have learned just how unified the body of Christ can be if we recognize, focus and fulfill our God-given roles,” South African freshman Anya Trietsch said.

“My favorite thing about Turnabout is the interaction that I get to have with students that I don’t see that often,” Australian sophomore Danielle Underwood said. “Turnabout groups sometimes include students from all four years, and that can be hard to do in activities throughout the rest of the school year.”

Internet technology enabled singles outside Edmond who are separated by thousands of miles to share in the fun. Oklahoma single Deeyll Wadsworth called two men from far-away regions of the United States and another from Puerto Rico. Ohio singles Caity Parr and Danielle Nance video chatted with Missouri singles Jared Zollner and Corey Woemmel. California single Casey Anderson chatted with a woman from South Africa. “Technology makes it a lot more convenient and cost effective than it used to be writing letters and phoning overseas,” he said.

Humorous moments defined the weekend for some singles. “[W]e went to the mall, but it was already closed,” sophomore Elizabeth Clarke said. “So we wandered around for a bit, and then somehow we ended up teaching the five positions of ballet to the gentlemen. A mall security officer came up to us and told us they’d been watching us on the cameras and gave us 10 out of 10.”

“Jessie Hester and I were blessed with the opportunity to pursue a runaway kite across campus to the front gate, where the nefarious kite was finally apprehended,” senior Callum Wood said. “Upon returning to the house, kite-in-hand, we were met with a sumptuous picnic, fit only for those daring enough to challenge the belligerency of the Oklahoma wind.”

Creative competitions made the weekend special for other singles. Sophomore Samuel Livingston said his group played messy games that left them covered in water, flour, oats, cream soda and eggs.

Speech instructor Joel Hilliker and his family hosted a Chopped challenge, based on the popular reality TV cooking series. Pairs of contestants competed to prepare salads, entrees and desserts, which were judged by Mr. Hilliker and his wife on Saturday night.

“It was an awesome experience with a potent combination of mental stamina and culinary innovation in a fast-paced cooking environment under restrictive time constraints,” junior Kyle Cocomise said. “Three grueling rounds left us mentally exhausted as if we just got out of a difficult Doctrines or Bible Prophecy final.”

Service was also a central theme of the weekend. California singles Casey Anderson and Jessie Beezley traveled to Crystal Cove Beach for an afternoon of walking, swimming, hot chocolate and cookies, and dinner at the Beachcomber restaurant. “I really appreciate the time, energy, care the ladies put into the date,” Anderson said. “I believe the ladies have wonderful ideas. It really is special that they take the time out of their day. It’s so giving of them!”

“I appreciate turnabout because it’s a fantastic opportunity to give and serve our brothers,” Australia single Maryanne Romanos said.

“[W]hat I appreciated most about this opportunity was how much God taught me about what men face and the deeper sympathy I now have for the struggle they face and how much encouragement they need,” Wadsworth said. “And, of course, being able to serve my brothers by exposing them to the feminine giggle.”

“The beauty of turnabout really is to see how great God’s women are and how much they care to serve the men in God’s church,” sophomore Michael Cocomise said. “It really makes me want to work harder in serving them.”