Intergenerational Programs — Faith-Based Possibilities
by David J. Fetterman

As intergenerational professionals we spend much time exploring innovative program options to bring together young and old, yet we often overlook existing settings like Brianna's church, which offers her opportunities to be surrounded with church family members of all ages. Faith communities are natural contexts within which to do intergenerational programming. Many faith communities have likely been doing intergenerational programming within the scope of their faith-based activities but have not labeled it as such. There is the rural congregation, for example, whose members have never heard of intergenerational programs, but who conduct weekly religious education in one room with participants of all ages interacting during that hour. Some congregations connect new or prospective members with older members of the faith community who agree to serve as their mentors as they begin their journey with this community of faith. Another congregation regularly takes its children and youth to visit and worship with residents in a local Skilled Nursing Facility. The list of examples could go on. Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other houses of worship are natural environments within which intergenerational interactions can thrive because they are not limited in their missions to one age or another, but rather exist for people of all ages.

Beyond intergenerational opportunities in houses of worship, what special contributions can faith-based organizations make to intergenerational programming? Faith-based intergenerational programs have recently become popular because of the hospitable political climate in the United States, where President Bush has cited the importance of faith-based organizations and the legitimacy of government funding to them. But is there a deeper rationale for exploring the value of faith-based intergenerational programming? I believe the explanation for this growing trend extends beyond the way the winds are currently blowing across the political landscape in the United States or elsewhere. Some of those reasons include the following:

Over the years, intergenerational programs have reached out to two groups of people who are often marginalized in society — the young and the old. These are groups that have often been relegated to the peripheries of societal decision-making, the value of their input overlooked. The young and the old have been on the wrong side of power equations in our communities. Their viewpoints have not always been taken seriously. Some of that power differential is changing with growing numbers of older adults and with the strength of groups such as Generations United and AARP; but as a society we still have some road to travel before the young and the old are seen as central to our societal values. In this, faith communities can speak with a powerful voice for those who often find themselves on life's fringes.

Faith communities seek to empower the powerless, to give voice to the voiceless, and to bring into the center of our communities those who too often are left on its outskirts. Christians claim a wonderful tradition in this regard when they relate Jesus' words in the Gospel of Luke, spoken upon a return visit to his home synagogue. In these words he quotes from the Hebrew Scripture, the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19, NRSV). These words, spoken from a Judeo-Christian tradition, echo sentiments from other faith traditions as well: The powerless and those perceived to be on the margins of life are of value. As persons of worth, these marginalized ones — such as the young and the old — are given a special place in the work of faith-based communities. That special place makes possible the connection of intergenerational and faith-based programs.

Intergenerational programs are about building bridges between disparate groups, such as teenagers and older adults, in ways that mutual understanding and caring can develop. They are about reaching out to the frail and dependent to provide a sense of compassion and connection, such as when older adults care for children in a daycare center or when children visit older adults in a dementia unit. They are about identifying community problems and issues and working together to find solutions, such as seeking ways to end gang violence in an urban neighborhood. In ways like these, intergenerational programs work toward the wholeness of the people and communities involved. With that basis, they are rich with faith-based possibilities.

Faith-based communities also seek the wholeness of personsÑbody, mind, and spirit. Turning again to the Hebrew scripture, there is a wonderful biblical term, shalom, which has root meanings that include the concepts of completeness, wholeness, and harmony or well-being. It occurs over 250 times in Judeo-Christian scripture. The seeking after wholenessÑof individuals, of groups, of systems, of communitiesÑis central to the values of many faith congregations. As intergenerational programs work toward wholeness, shalom, there are wonderful possibilities for connecting them with faith communities.

Finally faith-based intergenerational programs can bring together two powerful resources: intergenerational interactions and people's faiths. In the union of those two resources, connections can be made among people, mutual understanding can be fostered, and the fabric of our communities can be strengthened. None of this needs to suggest proselytizing. Faith-based intergenerational programs don't need to have goals of increasing congregational membership to be effective and worthwhile. Instead, their goals have to do with creating environments in our congregations and communities where dialogue, not dissension, is valued; where people make meaningful connections with one another; where peace and wholeness — shalom — are paramount. Those things are rooted in our sense of the spiritual — that which gives life meaning and value. Those things are rooted in many of our faith traditions, yet they transcend any one of our faith traditions. In the transcending is an opportunity for dialogue among faith traditions. This dialogue that joins faith-based resources to intergenerational possibilities can assist in the creation of a society that views intergenerational interactions as not just nice, but necessary.

Think for a moment about where you see faith-based intergenerational work being done in your community. Perhaps it is rooted in faith-based communities such as temples, mosques, churches, or synagogues. Perhaps it is grounded in social service agencies that have faith-based missions. Take another moment to consider where your community could benefit from the addition of faith-based intergenerational programming. Examples abound. Consider several:

1. Support group of grandparents who are raising grandchildren. The group has been together in one form or another since the mid-1980s. Hosted by a faith-based social service agency, the group is faith-based in its orientation. Prayer and Scripture are central to their meetings and to their identity. Group members range in age from their 50s to their 80s. Each group member is raising at least one grandchild; the grandchildren range in age from young children to teenagers. They are seeking support for their intergenerational family and have looked to a group that is grounded in a faith tradition for the strength and hope that they need.
2. Congregation that pairs teenagers with older adult members of the community of faith during its annual membership training program. The older adults serve as mentors for these newcomers to the congregation's membership. These pairs interact in formal class sessions as well as in less formal encounters in the hallway of the congregation's building or over pizza at a local restaurant. Through word and example, the older members share how their faith has guided and sustained them over the years. The teens share the joys and struggles that they face today. During their time together they learn about one another's worlds. They walk a bit of their life roads together. Often, the relationships that are formed during the membership training classes continue long after the teens have joined the congregation.
3. Intergenerational religious education program that occurs in one congregation at various times throughout the year. The congregation noticed that often children were not welcomed in the formal, traditional worship service. Some adults were even heard to say, "Worship is for grown-ups." Wanting to create an atmosphere where the youngest to the oldest felt invited into the community of faith, this congregation developed a series of special programs. Each program had a theme that was carried out through the morning. The regular schedule for that day was suspended. Learning centers were created on the first floor of the building. Little children helped older adults create a craft. Teenagers interacted with older members at the drama center. Participants sat together — mingled, not segregated by ages — during the closing worship time. People began to see one another in a different way. Participants began to see the purpose of worship and religious education differently.
4. Ecumenical mission trip to Mexico. As stated on their website, "Fourteen travelers journeyed to 5 struggling Mexican Indian communities to witness efforts to overcome poverty and live in dignity during an 8-day social justice trip." They "spent days and nights" in several communities "where communal meals were served and celebrated and trees planted at family home sites as well as along semi-arid croplands." The delegation was multicultural and intergenerational, ranging in age from 10 to the mid-70s. This was the seventh trip to Hidalgo by the Strategic Pastoral Action Network.

In an October 2000 address to the "Symposium of Faith-Based Organizations and Community Development," Gary Melton, Director of the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life at Clemson University, said: "Faith-based organizations almost always are established as communities of service motivated by the desire to protect the dignity of human beings created in God's image." Intergenerational programs also protect the dignity of human beings by speaking for the marginalized, and these programs seek to build bridges of understanding and trust. Uniting faith-based resources with intergenerational strategies opens a world of possibilities for people to find ways to understand one another, for the powerless and marginalized to be given new voice, and for communities to be strengthened.

David Fetterman (djfett@adelphia.net) is currently a Spiritual Counselor for Family Hospice & Palliative Care, Pittsburgh, PA. Previously, he was Director of the GrandKIN Raising GrandKIDS Program at Generations Together, University of Pittsburgh. Ordained in The United Methodist Church, David has served a number of parishes as both pastor and minister of education.