Serving Our Seniors

Jay Schneider

Supporting Scripture:

"You shall rise up before the gray headed, and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the Lord.  Leviticus 19:32 "

Purpose:

This ministry exists to serve the men and women over the age of 60 who have needs due to aging and to offer specialized services for them. This purpose encompasses a broad spectrum of social, spiritual, physical, and benevolent needs. Although our own senior members are our primary focus, this ministry also seeks to serve the seniors who live at Parke Place.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain a list of members over the age of 60.
• Oversee our Home Communion program for seniors and shut-ins.
  • Maintain a list of those who are homebound and who would like to have communion delivered to them on Sundays.
  • Periodically remind the congregation of those who are homebound and pray for them.
• Provide Bible classes for the seniors who live at Parke Place. Choose the topics and select teachers.
• Publicize the class via the Pitman Proclaimer and the Parke Place bulletin board.
• Plan and organize social events such as devotionals, dinners together, and trips to places of interest. Provide rides for our senior members who do not have transportation.
• Attend to the physical and benevolent needs of our seniors. Provide special accommodations so that our seniors will be more likely to attend all-church activities. Help them to see, hear, and sit comfortably.
• Minister to seniors during times of bereavement. Attend the funeral ceremonies of our seniors and their family members whenever possible. Seek ways to assist those who are grieving. Remember the anniversaries of a loved one's death.

Note:

 Seniors are a tremendously diverse group. Some are healthy enough to travel around the world, while others are confined to home. Some may have amassed wealth, while others must watch their budget closely. Some have a network of family close by that they interact with regularly, while others are alone most of the time. Some are actively involved with the Pitman church family, others can no longer fulfill the function that they once performed, and others have never found their niche in the church.

• Our ministry to the seniors is threefold:
  • to see that those with special needs have those needs met,
  • to provide opportunities for seniors to fellowship with each other and with other members of the body, and
  • to provide opportunities for our seniors to serve the congregation by passing their wisdom down to the younger generation.

  Our congregation has done many good works in Jesus' name. His Spirit has led a large percentage of our congregation to participate in ministries by and for seniors. As we pray for souls to serve and lead to Jesus, He will continue to send opportunities for us to minister.