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While summer 2022’s sizzle is just a steamy memory, members of Epworth UMC in Franklin, Tennessee, still feel grateful for the $8,000 ENCORE Ministry grant that helped them update the HVAC system for the sanctuary.
For more than 45 years, Mountain T.O.P. (Tennessee Outreach Project) has offered home repair and day camp programs to individuals and families experiencing persistent poverty in Cumberland Mountain counties. As in many rural places, fewer resources exist for older adults and community-wide issues such as food insecurity and health-related emergencies tend to overshadow older adults’ physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
A $20,000 grant from ENCORE Ministry this year helped increase services to that older population.
Sooner or later, everyone endures bereavement — the experience of the death of a loved one. Our emotional response to bereavement is grief, a personal experience whose duration and depth can vary from individual to individual. Some people recover quickly from a loss and move on. Other people grieve intensely for a short period before finding peace while other individuals feel profound grief for years.
Jackie Blaesi-Freed, assistant director, department of Justice Consumer Protection Branch, shares a story about an 87-year-old woman in California who received a call from someone claiming to be the woman’s granddaughter. The “granddaughter” stated she had been arrested following a car accident and needed $9,000 for bail.
With 65 percent of active members older than 65, Millington (Tennessee) First United Methodist Church (FUMC) is a graying congregation. However, the church is located in a diverse neighborhood with a high school, intermediate school, and single-family starter homes. In March, church members began an inter-generational outreach ministry — pickleball for all ages.
As a child, I had freckles on my nose and cheeks. My body was not covered in freckles like some of my childhood friends, but I didn’t like that I had freckles anywhere on my body. My distain for my freckles was well known to my family.
Before the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference’s birth in January 2022, the legacy Memphis and Tennessee conferences had senior ministry programs: GOLDEN CROSS Senior Ministry (GCSM) and ENCORE Ministry (EM) While each ministry lives on in the TWK Conference, they have distinct functions and characteristics.
Memphis’ St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church received a $7,250 ENCORE Ministry grant to help renovate a storm-damaged room and make it a safe and inviting workout area for senior adults. Church member and community residents use the facility.
Older adults play vital, positive roles in our communities – as family members, friends, mentors, volunteers, civic leaders, members of the workforce, and more. Just as every person is unique, so too is how they age and how they choose to do it – and there is no “right” way.
While retirement has changes and challenges, it also provides opportunities to embark on new adventures. ENCORE Ministry Director Rev. Dr. Richard Gentzler provides an inspiring and alternative view of retirement.
ENCORE Ministry Executive Director Kent McNish announced the Bill and Lynn McAlilly Fund for Church Accessibility at the inaugural Tennessee-Western Kentucky (TWK) Annual Conference June 15-17, 2022. During the announcement, McNish presented a check for $500,000 from ENCORE Ministry to establish the fund.
If we reframe aging and discount the aging myth, then we affirm that life can be an exciting adventure through the decades.
Nashville’s Arlington UMC received a $10,000 ENCORE Ministry grant to help renovate flood-damaged areas in the church’s lower level.
Important links to elder abuse resources for Kentucky and Tennessee.
Elder abuse affects older people across all socioeconomic groups, cultures, and races and can occur when they are disconnected from social supports. While older adults may experience the same crimes as other age groups — including financial, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse and neglect — they are less likely to report the crime and recover from their victimization.
Helpful checklist ensures health care and financial arrangements are in place before serious illness or health care crisis.
Prior to serving as director of communications for ENCORE Ministry, Solomon worked for a plethora of United Methodist boards and agencies in a variety of sales, marketing, and project management roles as a consultant.
We may need to rethink the type of people who might be attracted to our churches. Is the correct question, “how can we get more young families in our church?” Or, is it something else?
Property values are on the rise. This means an increase in property taxes, a concern for many older adults living on fixed incomes. Click read more for information on Tennessee’s Property Tax Freeze Program and Property Tax Relief Program.
As we begin the third year of the COVID pandemic, we are well aware that the coronavirus has wreaked havoc throughout the world. According to
The ENCORE Ministry Foundation provided a grant to First United Methodist in Columbia, Tennessee, to help fund their feeding ministry, the People’s Table. Since 2004, the People’s Table ministry serves meals to neighbors in need every Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon, providing nourishment, love, and hope to the homeless, elderly, families, and individuals struggling to make ends meet. However, the need in the community is growing. With the closure of a local battery plant and reductions in SNAP benefits, more families are facing food insecurity.
Together, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus, feeding the hungry, caring for the vulnerable, and showing love to those who need it most. Every dollar you give to the Kent and Ellen McNish Fund for Older Adult Food Security helps feeding ministries stretch resources and serve more meals to those in need. Donate today and help support life-changing feeding ministries like the People’s Table.
