Carthage (Tennessee) United Methodist Church received a $5,000 grant from the Golden Cross Foundation. The grant helped fund equipment needed to improve online and in-person worship services. Pre-pandemic, the average attendance was 200 people each Sunday. The average number of people attending in person each Sunday now is about 100, but services also are livestreamed and posted on YouTube. “Our …

Like many United Methodists churches, Germantown UMC has a high percentage of older adults. As chair of our church’s Older Adult Council, I realized that many older church members were going to have a hard time registering for the COVID vaccine due to one or more of the following reasons:

  • They don’t use a computer
  • They don’t have a printer
  • They don’t have a cell phone

McMinnville’s Christ United Methodist Church (UMC) and Clarksville’s Madison Street UMC each received a $5,000 grant from the Golden Cross Foundation, a ministry of the Tennessee Conference of The United Methodist Church. The grants helped fund equipment needed to facilitate livestream worship services during the pandemic. “When Tennessee Conference Bishop William McAlilly requested that churches suspend in-person worship last March …

Dear Church Leader, The Bible begins with God taking a formless, empty, and dark earth and creating life in God’s image and declaring everything good (Genesis 1:1-31). Since we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), we understand ourselves to be co-creators with God. As co-creators, we can be grateful for the fact that the world’s scientists collaborated in new …

The Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability (TCAD) is the designated state agency on aging and is mandated to provide leadership relative to aging issues on behalf of older persons in the state. During the COVID-19 pandemic, TCAD is providing the following programs and services: Options for Community Living: In-home care, meals, homemaker and personal care services Public Guardianship: Court-appointment …

In the United States, there is not yet an authorized or approved vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). With the possibility of a limited supply of one or more COVID-19 vaccines becoming available before the end of 2020, accurate vaccine information is critical. FACT: COVID-19 vaccines will not give you COVID-19 None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in development …

During stressful times—like the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic—it’s more important than ever for pastors and lay volunteers to nurture healthy relationships with older adults. Because COVID-19 is spread when individuals are in close proximity to one another, older adults’ risk of contracting the virus increases as they are around more people. While many churches have renewed in-sanctuary worship, older adults can be at a greater risk worshipping in person. Yet, older adults face the challenges of isolation and loneliness when they stay at home.

ENCORE ministries at Belmont United Methodist Church, Nashville, under the direction of Rev. Jim Robinson has put together an excellent questionnaire to help church leaders understand the needs of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Golden Cross Foundation (GCF) board of directors this year added the Strategic Initiatives Grant to offer funding for ministry and other initiatives that serve older adults. During these uncertain times of crisis for everyone, especially older adults, the board searched for additional ways to offer support and assistance to churches and communities as they seek to serve the needs …