This OLD Church: Loving Our Aging Congregations
As I visit churches, I often hear from congregation members with a tone of lament and defeat: “We are all old.”
What if we changed our tune about OLD CHURCHES with OLD CHURCH MEMBERS. Instead of longing for what we don’t have, how might we celebrate what we do have faithfully attending each and every week?
Article from Convergence Rev. Dr. Anna Hall, January 2025
True, we might not be able to do all the things that we did in the past - and we may need to let many things go. But what opportunities for creative ministry with older adults might our present reality be highlighting for our ministry context? I found this article provoked an alternative way of viewing our ‘aging church’ - embracing the spirit of ‘you are not alone.’
If you are looking to expand your knowledge and comfort in the areas of spirituality and older adults, one of our ‘friends’ in the work we do - Conrad Grebel University College - supports a Spirituality and Aging Program connected to the amazing work of the Research Institute for Aging (RIA). Dr. Jane Kuepfer is the Schlegel Specialist in Spirituality and Aging and lead of the program. She also is one of our collaborators in our Spiritual Care in Long Term Care offerings over the past two years.
RIA’s program in Spirituality and Aging promotes and disseminates research in the field of spirituality and aging that will enhance the well-being of older adults and seeks to be a resource to students, community clergy, chaplains, and caregivers through university classes, public lectures, and workshops.
Did you know that recordings of their past seminars/workshops are available here:
You can find even more content (2 years worth) from the Spirituality and Aging Conferences and Seminars here. Even our own Rev. Dr. Glenn McCullough will be presenting in May on Dreamwork and Spiritual Growth in Later Life.
And if you are someone working in Long Term Care or hoping do so in the future, we’d highly recommend Module 3 of our Spiritual Care in LTC series. You don’t have to have participated in the previous Modules in order to register for this one. However, if you are interested in purchasing the past modules, simply reply to this email with that request and we’d be happy to assist you.
Registration for Module 3 of Spiritual Care in Long Term Care is open now. Sessions begin Friday, May 23rd (group rates available)
