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Older Adult Ministry

Older Adult Ministries
CA-NV UMC Conference

OAMC News

Do you have Intergenerational Programs scheduled in 2010?
The Older Adult Ministry Council (OAMC) recently mailed a booklet entitled Listening to Legacies to all churches in the Conference. Listening to Legacies involves older adults and middleschool-aged children in a two-session program where the students learn to interview and the older adults tell some of their life stories. Both age groups find delight in this interaction that works best one-on-one. The two-session program is intended to be a start of the two different generations talking and sharing with one another.

During the OAM Council meeting on August 8th, the second edition of the Best Practices Guide was distributed. The latest version includes many changes to the document handed out at Annual Conference.

Council members brainstormed about how to start an Older Adult Ministry in our churches. Please read the ideas listed below and let us know your results and questions.

To get an Older Adult Ministry going in your church:

Work off the passion of individual seniors and the gifts and blessings of the church.

What you need:

A group of people, so those interested in having an ongoing ministry know they have support and that there is ample material available to support them in their ministry.
Someone from the church who knows everyone to spearhead the effort.

When a site has had a CFA program, what is the followup?

Senior New Ways contacts sites to discern next steps which might involve them, but if a site wants to create an ongoing senior ministry, how does it happen?
One idea was for concerned district people to meet in clusters to discuss what is happening in each of their churches.

Some models from the Council Members:

Marilyn Wilson—Grass Valley UMC, a lay person who had a passion for quarterly senior lunches—see (see Best Practices Guide—BPG)

Judith Jogis—Lincoln UMC, retired clergy, leading Coming Fully Alive with DVD, kickoff sermon by guest speaker Judith Pruess-Mellow Aug. 24, 2008.

Rosemary Landry—Grace UMC, Yuba City, pastor-led older adult ministry to date with Coming Fully Alive classes has a big question on how to pass on the responsibility to lay leaders.

Council members brainstormed on this and decided that her networking one-to-one, trying to see who is passionate about what, would be successful in creating some ongoing, layled senior ministry. She will present specific suggestions, probably drawing most likely candidates from the BPG, in these sessions. She will also tap into the passions of certain older adults and make the best of the gift they have in the Community Labyrinth Project on their property.

With a Labyrinth seniors could pray for the needs of the world. The Yuba City Grace UMC labyrinth will have pavers, include all churches in area, be interfaith, and also include fountains. The labyrinth is made of weed resistant cloth from The Labyrinth Company, and is to include a Zen Garden.

Margaret Strem—San Leandro UMC, started out with senior teas, always had a joke or two to share, and has expanded to the CFA series with many seniors attending and continued monthly teas. We suggest that anyone wanting to start an OAM contact her for ideas. She began with the idea of meetings of 80+ years olds bringing their favorite things to share and reminisce about. This has expanded to a very large group of seniors.

Ruth Reynolds—St. Mark’s UMC, Sacramento. Their men’s spirituality group stands out. They have recently met about the topic of what lingers with you from your past; they each brought a picture that corresponds to this. The group began with two men getting together, one clergy, one lay with social work background, and it has led to ten men meeting twice a month. One man bakes cookies for each meeting, and we feel sure this is part of the success. One leader, Don Reynolds, said, “I wanted to be with men and not just intellectualize.”

Men’s group, Los Altos UMC—contact John Lehman, Chair of Sr. New Ways Board—a monthly breakfast meeting of men of all ages.

Edna Andres—has a regular monthly Saturday seniors’ event; hosted a Sage-ing Circle program Jan.-June 2008, planning a regional seniors’ day-long event where folks can share ideas and concerns.

District Training Days—what can we do to create and sustain senior ministries?

Death and Dying

The OAM Council discussed the importance of congregations thinking and planning ahead. We can assist them by asking:

What are pastors doing about congregants completing Advanced Directives?
What about Five Wishes? This is available from www.agingwithdignity.org.
CODA cards are an option that will assist people in completing the Five Wishes, and these are available from the CODA Alliance or Senior New Ways.
Read the recently published book, or book groups on, Dennis McCullough, M.D.’s book, My Mother, Your Mother—the “slow medicine” idea. It was recently reviewed in the New York Times.
Marilyn Wilson recommends Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish as being very helpful. The Council members committed to writing out their Five Wishes before our next meeting. Churches might consider having a Five Course meal, filling one section out with each course, either at private homes or at church.

OAMC encourages parishioners to ask elders these questions: How do you want to be remembered, to share your story, to record your stories, to leave a legacy?

The Council is able to facilitate this process by making people aware of the Five Wishes, CODA cards, and these books.

Friendly Visitor Training

OAMC will co-sponsor the GBOD-funded Friendly Visitor training, obtained by FUMC Santa Rosa, to be held at San Rafael FUMC September 13, 9-2:30 pm. Judith Pruess-Mellow is teaching. All are welcome. Contact Pat Sanborn, pat@fumcsantarosa.org, for more information.

Contact
For more information on the Older Adult Ministry Council,
email: susan.harlan@pacbell.net