“A large number of our folks are snowbirds,” explains Senior Pastor John Guillott. 

But six years ago, the church committed to offer vacation Bible school because they had the finances and the space that other smaller churches in town lacked. 

“We came to recognize that we were a senior adult church, but we would still invest in families, children and youth, and one way we would do that is to provide VBS for our community,” Guillott says. “We challenged our folks that this would be their mission trip for the summer.” 

So, the church appointed Barb Tingle, a local kindergarten teacher, as VBS director. Each year, she advertises the program using email and social media, while church volunteers pass out door hangers at apartments in nearby underserved neighborhoods. Tingle also reaches out to the school district for permission to distribute flyers to students. 

“We choose just two schools because we want a lot of kids [to come], but we can only handle so many,” she says. 

Today, this “grandparent church,” as the congregants like to call it, holds its VBS the first full week in June with half-day programming for about 160 children through sixth grade. Kids get the chance to give to a special mission project. The church also hosts a dinner where the kids perform the songs they learned that week. And though the VBS closed during the height of the pandemic, today it continues to grow. 

Tingle says 25% of the children attending come from low-income communities, so they provide breakfast not only to the kids but also for their families before the Bible lesson and activities start. 

According to Tingle, several Mormon children now attend. She says the Mormon parents appreciate that their program teaches the Bible without trying to convert their children. 

“As for me, that’s fine,” she says. “You’re learning about the Bible, about the plan of salvation and that people at this church care about you.”

“We needed her special skill set because you couldn’t buy masks then,” says Senior Pastor Nathaniel Brooks.

Even before the pandemic, Brooks appreciated the seniors in his congregation, who often work the food pantry, act as greeters during worship services, and take care of administrative tasks. 

“They like doing anything that gets them out of the house and involved in ministry,” he says. “Many have thanked me for finding them something to do.”

The church has intentionally created activities just for seniors, including a recent movie day that 41 seniors attended.

“They brought their friends,” observes Brooks. “They were pulling up and dropping each other off with popcorn in hand.” 

The church also partnered with Oak Street Health Clinic to present information on diabetes during a craft day just for seniors. 

“It was a chance to have fun, learn and spend time with friends,” explains Brooks. 

Greater St. John has seen a 70% increase in senior participation since COVID-19.

“Seniors will come to places they trust and feel safe,” he says, noting that this means offering wheelchair accessibility (including ramps and wider doorframes) as well as automatic doors. 

During events for older adults, Brooks ensures others aren’t in the building. 

“I don’t want a child to round a corner and knock [a senior] over,” he notes. “It’s important for them to have their special time when they have no responsibility except to just be a senior.” 

Greater St. John offers a personal touch in keeping seniors connected to the church. Lorene Hansford contacts older adults about events just for them. “I love the fellowship we have with one another. Their leaving with a smile makes me feel like we’ve accomplished something.”

Brooks maintains that churches must reevaluate how to repurpose ministries to engage senior members more. 

“You have to reimagine what ministry looks like when we involve all generations,” he says.

Cramer, a Christian education youth representative at BCWC, pitched a pen pal program idea to church leadership. They agreed to do it. Soon after, 14 seniors were paired with 10 youths.

Cramer said Simmler, a former mail carrier of 40 years and a veteran, believed he wasn’t a good candidate for the program, claiming he was too old and didn’t know anything about computers or social media. But the handwritten letters he began to receive started a chain of correspondence.

“He was such a cool person to reach out to,” Cramer said. “He told me he hadn’t written a handwritten letter since he was in the Army in 1943.”

Through their connection, Cramer learned about Simmler’s military tours throughout Europe and North Africa, and what his daily life is like now—which includes driving and often bringing coffee to his son’s workplace.

“I think I’ve had a good life,” Simmler told her.

Some of the senior pals are unable to write, so they have become “phone pals” with young people at the church. But regardless of the communication method, both sides have been blessed. The older adults have made new friends and get to share their life experiences. The youth have learned about seniors like Bob Pyle, who grew up at the church and was baptized outside in the snow; Marge Colson, who has traveled extensively; and Rose Alleva who keeps pet ducks. Chloe Colson, a youth, and Beryl Bradley, a senior, have formed a bond over their shared love of Harry Potter.

The program is simple, but the impact is inestimable. “Human contact is so important, and when we were in quarantine, not having that [was challenging],” Cramer says. “A lot of the older generation aren’t able to go on Zoom or use technology, but handwritten letters are an art form of connection.

“When I get older I’ll know that this program is one of the most meaningful things I’ve done in my life,” Cramer says.

THE CHALLENGE
Seniors need to understand how to protect themselves from being victimized by the growing opioid epidemic.

ONE BIG IDEA
Educate the church on ways the opioid crisis is hurting the elderly and how to help.

Though Matty Ponce-de-Leon’s primary focus is pastoral (he’s the pastor of Arlington First Baptist Church in Jonesville, North Carolina), he also dedicates his time to an additional ministry, one that is personal in nature. A recovering addict and alcoholic, Ponce-de-Leon did not receive Christ until he was in his 16th institution.

“When I came to the saving knowledge of Christ in 2006 at age 29, I found myself with an opportunity to engage other addicts and alcoholics with the hope of the gospel,” he says. “As an addict, I was aware that anyone in my blast radius was affected, but what I found when I entered pastoral ministry is that there really is no demographic that’s not affected by addiction.”

And that includes the elderly. Last fall, Ponce-de-Leon partnered with the North Carolina Baptist Aging Ministry (NCBAM) to host an opioid awareness workshop for leaders of ministries to seniors.

“I had discovered how much older adults are victimized by their grown children as a result of the opioid epidemic,” says Ponce-de-Leon. What this looks like varies, but often it is addicted adult children stealing their elderly parents’ pills or withholding their folks from hospice care in order to hoard their prescription medication.

“The choices that seniors need to make regarding their adult children who are addicts are generally not challenges of logic; they are challenges of the heart,” he explains. “Intellectually, most people understand not to give drug addicts money, share medicines or enable poor behavior and choices. It is, however, because of the desperation of the heart that parents of addicts, no matter the age of their children, will hope that this time they really did just need that $25 for gas.”

The most effective way seniors can protect themselves from addicts who want to steal from them (including family members) is to properly dispose of medications, lock up medications and use caution when discussing prescriptions. Seniors must also be mindful about to whom they grant financial responsibilities, medical power of attorney and end-of-life decisions.

In addition, ministry leaders need to do their part to recognize when older adults need help. Warning flags may include a lack of communication, detachment or changes in behavior.

“One of the greatest dangers for individuals in the body of Christ, and, unfortunately, one of the most common practices, is to detach when challenges arise,” says Ponce-de-Leon. “Proactivity from adult ministry leaders to head off potential church detachment before it even begins is far easier than reintegration and assimilation, especially among seniors.”

A parallel epidemic in this country is the rising number of seniors who are raising their grandchildren because their child is an addict.

“The raising of grandchildren costs in ways not often initially considered,” says Ponce-de-Leon, including financial implications on fixed incomes, the utilization of savings for childcare and the physical toll it takes on seniors. The most heartbreaking loss, however, is that of the joyful opportunity to grandparent.

“Instead of being the steady hand of comfort, seasoned voice of experience and dispenser of grace that grandparents often are, they instead assume the parenting roles of structure and discipline,” says Ponce-de-Leon. “This is supposed to be a special time of life. God’s got his plan and design to affect children’s lives in a unique way. But seniors are being robbed of this blessing.”

Hosting this opioid awareness workshop was important to Ponce-de-Leon as he feels that churches should do their part to address the opioid epidemic.

“When it comes to engaging addiction with the gospel—because Jesus is the answer—there has been a flurry of recent activity in launching new initiatives, advancing conversation and promoting existing Christ-centered recovery,” he says. “The application of basic tenets of Christian discipleship and personal spiritual formation is being approached with a new vigor. In this current climate of need and interest, many effective voices and discipleship approaches are gaining traction.”

One reason there is a high level of interest in helping older adults within the church with regard to the opioid epidemic is because they are so often victims, plus they often make up a large portion of active church members. However, Ponce-de-Leon has not seen an abundance of teaching and training available on the opioid epidemic for this large demographic.

“One of the greatest church responsibilities in helping seniors dealing with opioid addiction in their adult children is to create environments where the issue can be openly discussed,” he says, noting that we live in a culture in which we so deeply identify failure and success in life with how our children turn out.

“The embarrassment of having addicted adult children can either be promoted or squashed depending on the environment within the church,” says Ponce-de-Leon. “In this respect, the sanctuary of the church should be just that—a sanctuary where all hurts and bewilderments can be brought, prayed over as a priority, and then engaged.”

ArlingtonFirstBaptistChurch.org
NCBAM.org

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“I made this card for you. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

A middle school student gave a handmade card to an elderly woman at a local convalescent home. She smiled, happy to receive the card—and the visitor.

For the last several years, the middle school youth group at Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, California, has crafted Valentine’s Day cards to deliver to two local convalescent homes and a home for the intellectually disabled.

“One Saturday, we make the cards and another Saturday, we deliver the cards to the different care centers,” says Shannon Krueger, a volunteer who has led the event.

The church ensures that the card-making day is a fun event for everyone. “The middle school director brings refreshments and I get the supplies to make the cards,” she says. “It’s not just for the students. We’ve had many families come, as well as adults who enjoy crafts. People enjoy getting to know one another better as they make their cards.”

Additionally, Krueger chooses Bible verses to write inside the cards to remind the recipients of God’s love for them.

As enjoyable as making the cards is, Shannon says the best part is delivering them. “We go from room to room and hand-deliver the cards,” she says. “We visit with the people and explain who made the cards and we pray with the people. People want to know that they are seen, that they matter. When we deliver the cards and pray with the people there, it is encouraging for the recipients and the volunteers alike.

“Most of the people we visit aren’t able to leave to attend church, so we bring church to them,” Shannon says.

Hannah Dudak was fortunate to have grown up near her grandparents, but many of her peers did not have the opportunity to spend quality time with older, caring adults. So a few years ago the Girl Scout developed Connecting the Generations, a program at Excelsior United Methodist that brings together senior citizens and children age 5 to 10. Once a month the group meets to make crafts, play games and engage in themed conversations.

“One time the seniors answered the question: ‘How did you spend Halloween when you were younger?’” recalls Dudak, now a college sophomore. “It was awesome because it was so different.”

One elderly gentleman went into so much detail about his Halloween pranks that his wife had to shush him for fear that the children listening would try them out, Dudak says.

Up to 15 seniors and children respectively take part in the monthly get-togethers. For her efforts to cross the generational divide at her church, in 2015 Dudak won the Girl Scout Gold Award, the organization’s highest achievement.

Excelsior United Senior Pastor Kathryn Schneider-Bryan appreciates how Dudak took the initiative to launch the program.

“The title, Connecting the Generations, really expresses that the goal is to make sure that older and younger families in our congregation aren’t separated from each other, and that interaction and building of friendships is significant,” she says.

The pastor likened Connecting the Generations to a mentoring program and stressed the importance of children having a wide array of loving adults in their lives. “Kids need at least five healthy people in their lives to look to beyond their own parents, whether it’s about faith, friendship or a problem they’re having.”

Since Dudak has been away at college, her younger brother, Jackson, has overseen Connecting the Generations. Last year, under his leadership, participants took part in Servant Sunday, which entailed making more than 300 sandwiches for the homeless. That project inspired Jackson to take the program in a new direction.

“We will be alternating the months with craft projects, games and making a difference in our community,” he says.

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After the birth of his granddaughter, Pastor Paul Johnson didn’t take a hands-on role in the child’s life. Instead, he let his wife take charge. That all changed when he attended a conference on the role grandparents should play in their grandchildren’s lives.

“I was not engaged,” says Johnson, head of the senior’s ministry and pastoral care at First Friends Church in Canton, Ohio. “I was removed, and I realized that I needed to be involved and not to be so selfish and really invest more time.”

The summit so inspired Johnson that he organized a similar conference held at First Friends in June 2017. “Grandparenting Matters!” featured Pastor Larry Fowler, founder of the Legacy Coalition, a ministry of Awana, and Wayne Rice, Legacy’s director of conferencing. The conference taught attendees strategic ways they could play an influential role in their grandchildren’s lives, such as sharing the gospel through storytelling and using social media to keep in touch.

According to Johnson, many grandparents focus more on completing their bucket lists or retiring in the tropics than they do on intentionally discipling their grandchildren.

“We’re coming across so many people who drop the torch,” Johnson says. “But if my child drops the torch and walks away from the Lord, whose responsibility is it to share the gospel with the grandkids? If my kids aren’t going to do it, I have to take responsibility for it.”

About 100 people attended First Friends’ conference, many of whom learned that they needed to do more than give their grandkids sweets and spoil them, Johnson says.

Fowler says the Scriptures back up the importance of Christian grandparents. He points to Deuteronomy 4:9 because it calls on believers to pass on their insights “to your children and to their children after them.”

Fowler says the verse led to the realization that he should pass on his faith to two generations.

“It’s not like a relay race where I pass on the baton to my children,” he says. “Rather, there’s this overlapping of responsibility.”

Sometimes, however, the relationship between parents and their children can become strained, making it difficult for grandparents to play a meaningful role in their grandkids’ lives. In that case, Johnson says the grandparents need to humble themselves and reach out to their children to mend the brokenness.

In addition to equipping grandparents, Johnson says First Friends offers a number of activities for older adults. Pickleball games, very popular among the church’s senior set, take place three times weekly. The church also organizes a luncheon and a Bible study for seniors.

Just as grandparents can initiate spreading the gospel to their grandchildren, they also can play a key role in sharing their wisdom with young Christians.

“We’re really trying hard to make things at our church multigenerational because there’s this tendency to segregate ages,” Johnson says. “We think it’s important to have multigenerational programs so that the older generation can teach the younger people.”

FIRST FRIENDS CHURCH
Canton, Ohio
FirstFriends.org

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Many of the elderly people who attend The Woodlands United Methodist Church in Texas weren’t active in a congregation until their golden years, according to Don Meador, pastor of senior adults.

In their mature years, they start going to church to spend time with their children or grandchildren, he says. But others lack close relationships with family members.

“They’ve reached a time when they’re so isolated and lonely, they will ask a friend or a neighbor, ‘Tell me about what you do at the church,’” he says. “Sometimes, I’ll be able to visit with them, and they discover there really is something to it, and it can change their life.”

More than 1,800 seniors attend Woodlands. At the church, which has an average weekend attendance of 6,000, seniors have opportunities both to serve and to be served, Meador says.

The church, for example, organizes a monthly gathering for seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and their caregivers. At the event, they dine and sometimes even dance together. Meador, a retired pastor who works part time leading the ministry, says the church routinely attempts to give seniors opportunities to socialize. They try out different restaurants in town each month as part of the church’s Lunch Bunch. They take part in game nights at Woodlands, go on short and extended trips together, and participate in low-impact exercise classes.

“Because of the size of our church, we can offer many varied activities,” says Vanessa Amelunke, Woodlands’ senior-adults ministry assistant. “But beyond that, Rev. Meador encourages ‘lay-led’ ministries, and we have vibrant seniors who are very giving with their ideas, their time and their talents.”

Woodlands also reaches seniors who can’t travel to church. Staff members and volunteers visit nursing homes, retirement homes and seniors who are homebound because of illness. The church also offers a program called Elder Rides for those older adults who need transportation to doctor’s appointments. And at both Easter and Christmas, the church brings flowers, treats and gifts to homebound seniors as part of their Shepherd’s Care ministry.

Meador says the church’s outreach to the elderly would not be so robust without the help of more than 100 regular volunteers, many of whom are seniors themselves. They work as “pew stuffers,” he says, putting information in the envelopes the church distributes to congregants each week.

“We have a large group that helps count the money,” Meador says. “Our seniors are free during the day to do these kinds of things.”

Elderly members of Woodlands also engage in light physical work, such as putting together supplies for the church’s mission team.

“We have seniors who are very involved,” Meador says. “Many of them are in our choir. We also have a senior adult choir called the Goldenaires. They tour most of the nursing homes and retirement facilities and some of the service clubs in springtime and fall. They sing for worship services.”

Approaching the end of life gives seniors a unique relationship with God, Meador believes. They have fewer distractions at this stage and, thus, more time to reflect on their spirituality and to deepen their faith.

“They begin to hunger for something deeper than they’ve ever seen before,” Meador says. “It’s wonderful to see that unfold, a time to consider a life of prayer and Bible study. That’s part of the joy of the senior ministry.”

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THE WOODLANDS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The Woodlands, Texas
TheWoodlandsUMC.org