According to Experience Corps., the number of Americans 55 and older will almost double between now and 2030–from 60 million today (21 percent of the total US population) to 107.6 million (31 percent of the population) as the Baby Boomers reach retirement age.
I’m in the process of planning a senior ministry for Grove Church. My love for the elderly is very strong and always has been and I have great dreams for Grove. Even as a child I was drawn to “old” people; perhaps my disability gave me an affinity for people who were trying to cope with a body that was not as strong as they wished, of less energy than they would like, of wanting to be independent while often in need of assistance. Now at 67, I am retired and living in a senior building. I am surrounded by people who struggle with the problems of aging, some without the benefit of family or faith. My heart goes out to them as it does to a relative, who suffers from dementia and her girls who do everything to make life easier for her. I feel for a cousin in Florida and his wife who, at my age, is already deep into Alzheimers.
The congregation of Grove Reformed Church is a family strong in faith and elder wisdom. Imagine our present senior congregation being equipped to mentor and shepherd each other through all the transitions of aging, from retirement through to the final days, encouraging all by faith in Christ’s resurrection. Imagine on-site and at-home small groups and book discussions. Imagine speakers brought in to educate our members and our community about the physical, mental, financial and spiritual health of seniors. Imagine reaching out to nursing homes to bring faith and nurturing to those who are alone. Imagine a ministry that, by addressing the needs of older members, also educates their grown children, who may one day be required to care for their aging parents. Finally, imagine Grove Church one day becoming the “Senior Learning Center” in Hudson County
Thinking about myself and the probability that I will end up in a nursing home, I am reminded of a wonderful woman I shared an April birthday with, who was over ninety, and had already lived twenty years in a nursing home when we became “penpals”. Viola Volkmar was an inspiration to me then and now. Her letters were always cheerful and she often wrote how blessed she felt because she could see and get along quite well in her wheel chair. She used these “gifts” to read and write for other residents and to knit and crochet for the craft group that raised money for the home. Perhaps I will be able to follow in her footsteps.
Today, an elder ministry for Grove is just a dream, but one day, if it is God’s will, it will become a reality. In the meantime, I will pray and read, research and study, so that when that day comes Grove and I will be ready to begin.
