When Thompson Dugbo sought a relationship a few years ago and discovered that finding a partner was a challenge, not just for him, but also for other young Christians, he decided to tackle the challenge head-on.

His solution? To create an organisation – BlessBless – to focus on building connections, whether that meant friendships or romantic relationships, and encouraging face-to-face interaction.

“For me, as a single man myself at that time, I thought it was very hard for people to connect, to meet each other… BlessBless put me in a position where I had to connect with others, “ he explained.

Named after a biblical scripture, Dugbo and a group of friends began working to organize BlessBless Connect, an in-person event where people could socialise and even find a partner.

However, he said he soon found himself working alone. “Everyone left. But I had my faith and just carried on with what I was doing. I had my first event, and it was very successful. I thought, “wow! This is how God wants me to do this,’” he said.

Focusing on in-person meetups was intentional, said Dugbo, a radiopharmaceutical scientist, who now works with a fluctuating team of 30 men and women on BlessBless. Events take place three times a year in London. “People are so busy now. I feel like having an in-person event, you have to make more effort.”

The evenings are filled with original activities that Dugbo creates himself, such as Pop by Faith, where participants are blindfolded and choose someone based on what they say.  “There are so many things that I offer for people who are used to dating online, to make them want to do something in person,” he said.

Despite his early success, Dugbo soon ran into the quintessential dating problem faced by many, especially those in the church – the imbalance between the number of male and female participants.

“After holding my first few events, I realised that there were always more women than men, and I needed to overcome that,” he explained. Ever resourceful, he started telling men about BlessBless Connect at events he would attend and curated a men’s forum within a larger What’s App group he had created. “When I have events, I send a message to the men and ask them to come. This is how I overcame the challenge of men coming to my event,” he explained.

And beyond connecting people, Dugbo said he is committed to helping men grow. “I also have a men’s therapy workout session every month where we come together and talk about our weaknesses and our strengths. We speak about how to become a better man. What are our women looking for? So when they meet a woman, they will know who they are and how to be a better husband,” he said.

Over the years, Dugbo has grown the organisation to include a relationship talk show on YouTube that airs every Thursday. “My vision for that talk show is to inspire, empower, and encourage, both singles and married couples. I want to create a safe space, where we can receive the Word and have some provoking conversations.”

So far, guests have included Theo Manderson  from Premier Gospel Radio, a father of six, who has been married for over 30 years. Meanwhile, relationship courses and experts in women’s mental health also make regular appearances.

A recently launched podcast has expanded his global outreach, Dugbo said. “People come from all over the world, places like Nigeria, America, the Philippines. We have people coming from 18 to 75, I want people to know that there is always hope. They come, they listen, and they embrace what I’m doing. I love it.”

And all this work has resulted in some encouraging fruits of labour, Dugbo said. One example is a couple who married shortly after interacting at a BlessBless event. “They participated in a game – speed one-to-one – where couples engage in a scenario, but nothing happened. I knew that there was some kind of chemistry. I invited these two people to come to my house for a Thank-you session after that event, and since that day they have connected. They got married within 10 months.”

As he mulls over the future for BlessBless, Dugbo sees further expansion, including an in-person conference, bringing together single and married people, but most of all, he said he wants to continue “to empower and encourage and reach out to people all over the world and show them that you can be a blessing to others.”

For information on BlessBless, including meet-ups, the talk show, and more, visit

https://www.instagram.com/blessbless.td

The next BlessBless Connect meetup is 15 November 2025.