World Elder Abuse Awareness Day raises awareness of cultural, social, economic, and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect.
My good friend, Rev. Ward Tanneberg writes a blog titled, “Perspective: Living, Learning and Leading in Life’s Third Age”. In a recent blog post, he shared a story that has appeared over the years. As we prepare to celebrate Easter, I thought it would be appropriate to retell the story.
Older adults often say they want to stay in their own homes as long as they can. We describe such thinking as aging in place — defined as living in the home and community of your choice as you age. It is a place where one feels safe has the ability to control and enjoy life experiences.
An important role for the Church in its ministry by, with, and for older adults is helping older adults age in faith. In other words, effective congregational ministries intentionally invite, nurture, and equip older adults to age faithfully!
On my desk is a small, unframed piece of paper. While the edges are frayed and the once-white paper is yellowing, it provides an important focus for living my days. It reminds me of who I am and what I hope to become.
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.
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.
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.
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?
When I was a child, I used to imagine what it would be like to be as old as my great-grandfather, Sterling Grim. My great-grandfather was a Pennsylvania Dutchman and an active member of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. He sometimes spoke in German or Pennsylvania Dutch and tried teaching me the language. I had enough difficulty with the English language and could never quite grasp his German tongue. For some reason, his thick white hair and wrinkled face never frightened me. In fact, I was attracted to my great-grandfather because I felt special by his love.