The church is aging faster than one year at a time. Think about that statement.

"Over the next sixteen years, the number of people over 50 will grow by 74 percent, while the number of people under 50 will grow by only 1 percent" (from America's Crisis in Aging by Edwin J. Pittock, President, Society of Certified Senior Advisors at a conference on January 14, 2004).

Facts:

• The church and all our culture must address issues concerning the aging of America.
• We lead very busy lives and often say we don't have time for one more meeting or seminar.

In the Western New York Conference, we have borrowed the germ of an idea from the Chautauqua Institution and "tweaked" it to address the above-mentioned facts. (See "Chautauqua Institution to Focus on Healing and Healthy Aging.")

In 1878, The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle was formed to meet the perceived need of encouraging individual study for people unable to attend institutes of higher learning. Our perceived need is to encourage members of churches who may be unable or too busy to attend seminars to become aware of the importance of older adult ministry.

To that end, we have established a program in which interested members of churches across our conference can read books and view resources on beginning, encouraging, developing a ministry by, with, and for older adults.

We believe this is an important first step in raising the consciousness of our churches to take a closer look at the possibilities and rewards of this type of ministry.

The program works this way. People who choose to participate join for a three-year period. Over that time, they covenant to read/review (at least) three books/resources each year. Upon completion of their reading/viewing, they fill out and submit to our conference Older Adult Ministry Team a response sheet that asks them how they plan to use concepts from the book/resource to form or build upon an older adult ministry program in their local church. At the end of the three years, they will receive a certificate of accomplishment. The hope is that participants have also begun and/or grown their ministry.

Our hope/dream is that by getting their attention, we can make church members aware of this vital ministry and begin to engage the older adults in their churches in many and varied forms of ministry by, with, and for older adults.

Some of the books/resources we are recommending are:

• Aging Well by George E. Vaillant, M.D. Little, Brown and Co., New York, NY (2002).
  
  
• The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life by Gene D. Cohen, M.D., Ph.D. Quill (2001).
  
  
• A Deepening Love Affair: The Gift of God in Later Life by Jane Marie Thibault. Upper Room Books, Nashville, TN (1993).
  
  
• Designing an Older Adult Ministry by Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., D.Min. Discipleship Resources, Nashville, TN (1999).
  
  
• Faith in the Future: Healthcare, Aging, and the Role of Religion by Harold G. Koenig and Douglas M. Lawson. Templeton Foundation Press, Radnor, PA (2004).
  
  
• The Graying of the Church: A Leader's Guide to Older Adult Ministry in The United Methodist Church by Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., D.Min. Discipleship Resources, Nashville, TN (2004).
  
  
• Adult Ministries: Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation by Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., D.Min. Cokesbury, Nashville, TN (2004).
  
  
• Aging: God's Challenge to Church and Synagogue by Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., D.Min. and Donald F. Clingan. Discipleship Resources, Nashville, TN (1996). (out of print)
  
  
• Our Help In Ages Past: The Black Church's Ministry Among the Elderly by Bobby Joe Saucer with Jean Alicia Elster. Judson Press, Valley Forge, PA (2005).
  
  
• What are Old People For? By William H. Thomas, M.D. VanderWyk & Barnham, Acton, Massachusetts (2004).
  
  
• Winter Grace: Spirituality and Aging by Kathleen Fischer. Upper Room Books, Nashville, TN (1998).
  
  
• Living Fully, Dying Well Planning Kit with Bishop Rueben Job. Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN (2006).
  
  
• New Beginnings: The Gifts of Aging DVD addressing the specific issues of how to be in ministry by/with/for older adults by Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., D.Min. Discipleship Ministries, Nashville, TN (2005).

Barbara Bruce is a member of the Older Adult Ministry Team in the Western New York Conference. For more information you may contact her by e-mail at BBCreative@aol.com.

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