What DOES the church offer seniors? Probably not enough. Having said THAT, let’s focus on what we do offer: On a social/fellowship level, our THURSDAY EDITION program meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday from 10 a.m. to Noon – Sept through May – decadent donuts, speakers – all both inspiring and fun! FIRST FRIDAY NITERS, a dinner/program evening on the first Friday of each month continues. This group was started over 60 years ago. Ron/Mary Ann Purdon and their crew have kept it afloat; the boat is now taking on water, however, and we are charting new ways in the Fall to do some repair work! Seniors are encouraged to join small/groups and Sunday School classes. The church provides transportation for them on Sunday mornings. An aside: Jim Kern, pushing 101 years, is the only senior who can crawl into the third seat of the church van! Some seniors in retirement homes keep tabs on each other and send updates/reports.
The Parish Visitor coordinates calling – hospitals, nursing homes, private homes and hospice. Pastors and volunteers help with this. We deal with end-of-life issues, funeral planning and grief counseling.
Senior ministry lives and breathes through many of you in this church – young people who care and reach out to individuals, those who quietly follow our chronic nursing home patients and report to the parish visitor. Both men and women make up this group. After a recent Thursday Edition meeting, I reviewed and pondered the following: Dr. Lowell McCoy(95) had eloquently prayed the invocation, George Keil(94) began the benediction with, “Oh Lord, we are so glad we could come to church today and be together.” And, recently at a graveside committal service, Bishop Colaw(92) quoted William Cullen Bryant’s, “Thanatopsis” – the most beautiful lines. Lee Jones(97) remains after Thursday Edition and sends the weekly bulletins to shut-ins and the sick. She includes with each a poem which she has selected and reproduced, and all with a personal hand-written note attached.
This is well known that we all are living longer and getting older – We are thankful that the members of Thursday Edition are getting older; of course, our members church/wide are getting older. We need more of you younger people – you who are in your 60’s and 70’s, you who are just retiring – we need you to stand on the shoulders of our “giants” – we need you to help define what senior ministry will look like l0 years from now! We will always be grateful for the leadership of Dr. McCoy and his support of all groups/levels; as he leaves for his new assignment, we are looking forward to new pastoral leadership with Dr. Cathy and Rev. Doug Johns. Sometime during the summer months, we hope to meet with them and discuss senior ministry. Call my office if you would like to be part of such a group – 979-8196.
In conclusion, Martin Luther’s l6th century hymn, based on Psalm l30 ends with this verse: “ And thus our hope is in the Lord, and not in our own merit; We rest upon his faithful word to them of contrite spirit. That he is merciful and just, Here is our comfort and our trust; His help we wait with patience.” Amen.
Senior Ministry in a Nutshell: We are all thankful, and we praise God for the privilege of growing older!
Marietta Garber
Parish Visitor