Waiting for God Ideas for mission and outreach among the elderly in our Communities Produced by the Enabling Elderly Group, Diocese of Peterborough
Contents Waiting for God Introduction 1. Developing worship & fellowship In Church In residential homes 2. Lunch Clubs 3. Pets and other contacts 4. Providing HOPE for older people in Kettering 5. Top Tips for reaching out to the elderly 6. Back to Church Sunday 7. Prayer Pointers 8. Resources Diocese of Peterborough, The Lakes, Bouverie Court, Northampton NN4 7YD Tel: 01604 887000. To download further copies of this leaflet, visit www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk Introduction Ethel was recently confirmed. A joyous event by any standards, but even more when you hear that Ethel was 96, and came to faith at the age of 93. A remarkable journey into faith! When we think about mission and evangelism in our churches, most people will say We would like to see more children and young families in our churches and that is a wonderful vision and desire, but God s generous mission is not ageist. Simeon waited patiently for years for the promise of meeting with Jesus. And throughout the Bible, God often chooses the wise and the elderly who wait on God and wait for God. In the Diocese of Peterborough there are a number of activities and initiatives which are serving and bringing the gospel particularly to the elderly. This short booklet gives a brief snapshot of some wonderful activities, but is aimed at every parish as a catalyst to consider our own outreach to the elderly, housebound and isolated. They are loved by God equally, many of them are hungry for the Good News of Jesus Christ. Many of them have drifted away from a childhood faith and church membership. The fields are, indeed, ripe for the harvest! Revd Tim Sledge Diocesan Mission Enabler
1. Developing worship & fellowship In Church: Hymns of Praise at St Giles Church, Northampton The objectives of the services are to show God s love in word and deed, and to present the message of salvation through Jesus Christ in a way which resonates with the needs and hopes for older people as we have perceived them. The service came into being after hearing the comments from many of the older people with whom we had contact. They said they: would like to come to Church and missed coming liked watching Songs of Praise liked the old hymns and didn t know or understand the new ones lacked the means of getting to Church didn t like coming out in the evening on dark nights took a while to get going in the morning. We planned the service for 3pm on a Sunday hopefully so as not to clash with other services in local churches, and to allow us to get them back in time to watch Songs of Praise on the TV. We have tried to look at all the barriers to older people coming and to do our best to remove them. Initially we had services every other month, and then built up the capacity of the team to run them every month. We felt it was important to offer free transport and not to pass collection plate around - a very common complaint is that all the Church wants is our money. We serve tea and cake after the service at tables set up in the side aisles and at the back of the Church. Teamwork has been essential from taking the bookings from the guests to arranging car or minibus lifts, doing the catering and planning the services. I recommend that team leaders be appointed to oversee these key areas. Geoff Waters In residential homes: Songs of Praise in residential homes in Duston P l e a s e c o m e a g a i n. I wouldn t miss this for the world. Words so often heard after our Ecumenical services of Songs of Praise in the five care homes for the elderly in Duston. God s mission for us goes on throughout our lives because it means growing up in Christ, and as life diminishes day by day so our life in Christ needs to grow stronger day by day. This is why our Christian care of the elderly and frail is vital. For the past five years an ecumenical team of visitors from the five churches in Duston has been taking and receiving the Good News of God s love and care for us all as we sing songs and share stories - thus bringing the fellowship of the churches to those who can so easily feel cut off. For many it is a remembering and a return to Christian faith and practice, with words and prayers that
have long lain dormant. How inspiring to hear frail voices pick up hymns and prayers learnt long ago. For some, pillars of the Church in years gone by, it is to know they are not out on a limb but are still part of the living body of Christ. For some it may be the first time they have prayed together and shared their experiences with others. All of us feel blessed as we meet together and know that our lives are cherished and upheld. Revd Yvonne Chapman Key points to learn: Ask where are the housebound/residential homes in the area? How do we keep in touch? How can we include them in fellowship? The Church listened to the needs of the elderly They didn t try anything too clever and went with what they knew Worship and food and fellowship are of equal importance Start manageable ie bi-monthly at first Grow a team 2. Lunch Clubs This is something which is organised at St Peter & St Paul, Abington on a monthly basis. It is open to anyone over the age of 60 and initially started just for those members of the congregation and friends who lived on their own, but is now open to all. A dedicated group of volunteers cook and serve a two course meal at a modest cost and although there is no overt "religious input", apart from saying Grace, the members appreciate the fellowship and company. This is only possible as we have our own rooms with a kitchen but is something which could be used as a starter to bring back the elderly to Church or to help them keep attending through the contacts they make at the lunch club. Liz Kelly Key points to learn: Start with the Church, but don t make it exclusively for them The congregation will happily invite their friends Fellowship and company are key Little Christian input This is contact and could be developed further
3. Pets and other contacts Try and involve people who are in contact with the elderly in various ways. For example, as a Pets As Therapy volunteer I go into a nursing home in the parish and can take Church magazines and talk to those who want to chat about what we are doing. There may be others in a similar position, eg volunteering with Age Concern to do shopping etc, and links could be made in these ways to make contact with those not attending a local church. It really comes down to having someone who is willing to search out the possibilities and help to make an audit of what is available, then being able as a Church organisation to follow up the links. Liz Kelly Key points to learn: Many people are interested in the Church Magazines work well with the elderly What organisations could you partner with? Searching out the opportunities I am an occupational therapist specialising in dementia care and provide a service to care homes. Although my remit when working in care homes is not primarily to evangelise, it has been possible to help individuals talk about their experience of the church and to express their own faith. For some hearing a well known hymn or song from the past may trigger a memory or even increase their alertness for a time. It may be possible with others to use the hymns as a conversation starter, one lady spoke about how much she loved going to the Mission as a child. We have spoken about her Sunday School days, one time with her saying how much she loves Jesus. We often do not know if those in care homes have a faith in Jesus or even if seeds sown in their youth may have taken a lifetime to germinate. Pam Shannon 4. Providing HOPE for older people in Kettering At Christ the King, our vision is that older people are engaged with and helped, both in their lives and in their faith that s why our activities are called Helping Older People Engage. Here are a few of the activities we are engaged in. We hope that these won t make you think we can t do that where we are but oh let s give that a try or that would be a great idea for the over 50s in our patch! Friendship Club: meets every Tuesday at 1.30pm with a variety of speakers, chat and tea. This has worked well because its regular fellowship and some light but thoughtprovoking input on a variety of topics. Worshipping together: Every Wednesday morning we have a reflective service of Holy Communion King Fit: An exercise class which begins with prayer for those who are not as fit and healthy and continues with appropriate exercises for our older members. King Krafters: A weekly afternoon with a variety of craft activities and a monthly craft specialist visits to help you try out something new! Luncheon Club: Up to 65 people come each month to enjoy a light lunch and a visiting speaker or entertainer.
In addition, we run Holiday Club in August with activities and day trips for older people - all rounded off with a Summer Songs of Praise. This year we are planning VOX (Valuing our experience) - an opportunity for some of our young people to partner with individuals or couples from our Over 50s to enable mutual sharing and support. Capt Peter Simmons 5. Top Tips for reaching out to the elderly A few thoughts on what has worked in evangelism and spirituality for the elderly: Monthly communion service (from the reserved sacrament) with hymns at local homes. Includes readings and short homily on a specific theme/season in the Church calendar. Monthly Songs of Praise with themed homily which also challenges at times. The idea is to nourish both spiritually and physically. To encourage questions and open up channels for further faith conversations. Congregation members visiting to read to people for an hour once a week. A great opportunity to travel alongside someone through the written word. Many secular books have theological/christian principles. The Bible, psalms or hymns are a good spiritual resources for reading. Lending folks discs and tapes of sacred music, biblical talks or the bible on CD, especially for those with impaired vision or short attention span. Involving folks in the preparation of the Church festivals eg joining in making the Christingles for the children s service and making prayer cards for monthly healing services. Involving the elderly in Mission Abroad by asking them to pray once a week for a specific link your church may have. Holiday Club for the elderly A week of food and fellowship, of outings, of craft activities run over the summer from Monday to Thursday. Bereavement Group of those on their own of all ages who are struggling to come to terms with both death and being and living alone. A social and sharing group. Contact Paston Church for a good example of this working. Lesley Johnson 6. Back to Church Sunday For the past four years, the last Sunday in September has been set aside for Back to Church Sunday. This is a wonderful opportunity to personally invite those who used to go to Church but have stopped coming over recent years. Recent research has shown that the vast majority of these people are elderly and would like to come back if someone would either pick them up or accompany them. For more information, contact www.backtochurch.co.uk
7. Prayer Pointers Please pray for the specific needs of the elderly in the community including: Those who are unable to leave their own homes Family and friends of ill and disabled elderly people, and carers Local care homes, for all carers and other staff especially any who are abusive towards them For a compassionate and caring understanding of the elderly and their needs Discussion questions for your Church Spend some time in a small group or PCC and ask these key questions: Where are the elderly in the community and what are their needs? How do we keep in ongoing pastoral contact with them? What would be appropriate ways to engage and share the gospel? 8. Resources Visit www.parche.org.uk an Eastbourne based Christian charity meeting the spiritual needs of elderly people in care. Lots of great ideas and resources. Easy to use services from Yvonne Chapman on 01604 762091. Large Print Hymn Books from CCOA, Northampton Enterprise House, PO Box 341, Northampton NN3 2WZ. For music, No organist, no problem available from Kevin Mayhew Publishers. CCOA (Christian Council on Ageing) has leaflets on visiting, listening, leading worship all available from the Library at Bouverie Court or direct from CCOA via www.ccoa.org.uk or write to Stoneways, Hornby Rd, Appleton Wiske, Northallerton DL6 2AF. Call Gillian Spokes on 01604 887048 for more booklets or information