Jonathan and Carissa talked to each other for the first time on January 25, 2018. They were both mutually interested from the start and made it official less than a month later. It is no coincidence that Jonathan and Carissa met each other at Emmanuel Church's young adult group because God has always been the center of their relationship. They both love Jesus and want to honor Him by committing their lives to serving one another. Exactly 2.5 years from the day they first met, they are so excited to pronounce their love for one another in front of all their families and friends as they say "I do!"

After spending the day at the Covered Bridge Festival, Carissa was headed home with some of her female family and friends. Suddenly, they pulled off on the side of the road. She just assumed they were lost again, when out of the woods walks Jonathan. He pulled her from the car and walked her down a private covered bridge. He had decorated the bridge in a string of lights and pictures of their journey together thus far. He reminded her of the story behind each picture as they walked. When they reached the end of the bridge, he stopped at a circle of roses that were on the ground and got down on one knee. He proceeded to ask her to spend his life with him!

Jonathan and Carissa have chosen to marry each other at the place that started it all. Having met at Emmanuel Church in Greenwood, it seems only fitting to exchange rings within the church where their love for one another began. They are following in the foot steps of Jonathan's parents, Gay and Brian Shingleton, who were married at Emmanuel Church in 1987 and now celebrate 32 happy years of marriage! Emmanuel Church - Garfield Park Campus is the newest addition to Emmanuel Church's multiple locations and is where Jonathan has been employed as the Facility and Production Associate Director since July 2019. Jonathan and Carissa call this church home and Carissa regularly volunteers there. Even more special, Jonathan's grandparents, Fredrick and Peggy Bemenderfer, were married to one another in 1958 at this same building, long before it became a part of the Emmanuel Church family. It truly is a legacy of love!