Seniors' Ministries

How young people relate to older people and how the older relates to the younger is a good thermostat on the health and strength of a nation. It has been said by many that a lack of respect for the elderly is a sign of a nation in upheaval.

As a church committed to covenant theology, family is an important concept that is a much broader term than simply a reference to the so called “nuclear family,” a mom and dad and 2.5 kids. Growing old has numerous ramifications and many of them are not biblical. The generational divides that we hear about so much today, which seem to accent the boundaries of the various generations, have a biblical response. Older men are to teach younger men and older women, younger women. God intends for family members to show respect for one another. Just as the older teach the younger, the younger are to be an example in their youth to the older.

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While the church cannot afford to gloss over the generational groups today, it cannot at the same time allow one generation to be isolated from another. David prayed in his old age that he would have the strength to pass on the faith to the next generation. That implies that the next generation would relate to and listen to him.

Sunday, September 14, 2008 is Senior Citizen’s Day in the PCA. Our desire is to see our PCA churches focus on the covenant aspect of its church members. Below is a list of eight ideas that we suggest as possibilities to assist you in observing that day. Serving and Challenging Seniors is a manual developed by Dr. George Fuller, who assists CEP with the ministry of training. This resource is available either through a senior citizen seminar by Dr. Fuller or the CEP bookstore and also contains many suggestions.

1. Offer praise to God for all the generations, especially the seniors, in the Sunday worship.

2. Provide special education and training classes for seniors and announce them on that day.

3. Encourage seniors to be available to be involved in the church’s ministry.

4. Pick up on a theme listed in Fuller’s manual: “The purpose of Older Adult Week is to help congregations recognize aging as a natural part of living, involving life from birth to death, and to affirm the worth of persons in all stages of development and at all functional levels.”

5. Consider preaching on a passage such as Psalm 71, Psalm 78, or Ecclesiastes 12 on that day. A message on honoring your father and mother would also be appropriate.

6. For the more creative, you could plan an intergenerational event during the Sunday school time.

7. Check the chapter “Mobilizing for Ministry” by the late Edmund P. Clowney in Fuller’s manual for suggestions.

8. Give an award for longevity in service and/or faithfulness in present service to a senior member of the congregation.

Older people have much to offer and thanking the elder generation continues to express a desire to have good relationships with older people, including parents.

Editor’s Note: Christian Education and Publications is beginning to fulfill an earlier assignment by the General Assembly to develop a program of ministry around senior citizens. They are the fastest growing segment of our population. For example, in 2000 there were 70,000 centenarians in the U.S. One year later the number jumped to 100,000 and by 2050 it is projected to reach 834,000. Getting older can be a difficult experience in a person’s life, though I am convinced your ministry can thrive and grow as you age. David is even seen in Psalm 71 asking the Lord to continue his ministry in his older age: “Even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” I relate to that prayer because it expresses so clearly my own prayers and desires for the next generation to know the Lord and my desire to help them.

Recently, knowing that CEP is involved in offering some training around the theme of senior citizens with the able leadership of Dr. George Fuller, several people have asked questions about our program and materials. They have also asked us about retirement. Is it a biblical concept?

In the book review section we comment on Paul Tripp’s book, Lost in the Middle: Midlife and the Grace of God. In the book he makes this observation: “the Bible does not talk about midlife crisis, but the Bible tells us everything we need to know about midlife crisis.” I would say the same thing about retirement.

Retirement is one of the topics addressed in our resource manual materials, Serving and Challenging Seniors, edited by George C. Fuller. To answer the question in this section of Equip for Ministry, I will use one of the pages out of those materials, written by Richard L. Bucko, a deacon at the Cherry Hill PCA Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

Making the transition to the next phase of life is often a difficult and stressful experience. What will we do with our time? Do we want to go out while we are at the top of our game? Will the financial resources be adequate? One important part of the retirement decision is what you will do with your time if you’re not at a job. Having an answer to these questions in advance will make the retirement decision easier and less stressful.

Some research indicates that the ideal “retirement” arrangement involves doing what you did before, just less of it. Some of us may have that option in our past employment, but most will find that the former workplace will have to be left behind.

For those who “cut the cord” to the former work environment, transition efforts to prepare for the next phase of life can be comparable to having a second job. A second job that may well, and perhaps should, last over a year. It takes thoughtful and realistic planning as well as serious introspection. As I approached retirement from my profession of 32 years, I listened carefully to the stories of those I knew, and of others who had already made the decision. It became clear that successful retirees were the ones who knew what they would do with their time prior to making the retirement announcement and certainly prior to the retirement date.

As members of the human family, as well as the Christian faith, we have been given needs that must be filled for us to be happy and content. There are the basic human needs of air, water and food, but there are the “higher order” needs that must also be met for us to achieve true happiness and contentment. These needs must be considered as we plan our life ahead. Human interaction, self-worth and meaning in our activity are some of the things we should consider in selecting our retirement options.

This raises the thoughtful question: Does a Christian ever retire? As a Christian the answer is, of course, no, but as a worker the answer is usually yes. So then, what are the options for the Christian retiree?

The Options

I. Interest
If we have an interest or curiosity in the world around us it is difficult to be bored. Develop a plan to explore and develop interests that can be an individual quest-climb that mountain-and then the next. Or it can be as part of a group such as a hiking club, boat building or work as a museum docent. The possibilities are only limited by our imaginations and curiosity. Many of us will have the opportunity to be engaged more in Bible study groups and to read the bible daily.

II. Other Work
Second, find a part-time or full-time job. Is there a position open at the local library, can you drive a school bus, teach a class, manage a store? If we are willing to consider part time-at a less lofty position than we once had-the number of possibilities may be surprising. The trade-off for that full-time position you left may be greater flexibility (fish or play golf on a Tuesday), less stress and more time to explore the other options.

III. Make a Difference
The third option involves making a difference. Another way of expressing this is that we all gain a stronger sense of self and of belonging when we can feel our activity has meaning. Making the world a better place, one act at a time. This includes volunteering at your church in a form of ministry such as work on church property, visiting nursing homes, or driving the elderly to the grocery store. It also includes volunteering for a committee in your town (Shade Tree Commission or Zoning Board), running for the school board or helping to beautify public gardens ( and your own). We can certainly make an impact on those higher order needs when we feel that we have made a difference in the lives of others.

Combining two or all three of the option categories is certainly possible and can lead to the attainment of those higher-order needs that result in satisfaction and contentment. None of us can order our lives to perfectly meet our needs for fulfillment and contentment. But planning in an organized and purposeful manner can certainly make a difference. The three option categories stated above can provide a core for purposeful planning that can be put on paper to begin a daily and weekly calendar. You may learn that it is the beginning of a bad day when you get up and say, “What am I going to do today?”

Richard L. Bucko, Ed. D.
Principal (retired), Moorestown School District, New Jersey
Adjunct Faculty, Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey
Deacon, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Cherry Hill, New Jersey

You can obtain further information on CEP’s program, purchase the materials, and host a seminar in your church and presbytery on the senior citizen topic by contacting our office or Dr. George C. Fuller at fullergj@worldnet.att.net or 129 Farmington Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-2513.

Old age comes suddenly upon us. No one knows that better than old people (Psalm 37:25, Hosea 7:9). Sorrow and sickness, loneliness and despair often accompany advancing years.

No one can ignore or remove the problems that old age brings. But Christians share God’s best in life, even in old age. Old age from a biblical perspective is life transformed, life renewed, life filled with blessings and opportunities. In fact, a man can even be born again when he is old (John 3:4).

Old age at its best is a time of wisdom and faith. “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days” (Job 12:12). Proverbs 4:1 calls upon the young to heed the wisdom of those who are older. The elders among us have the great advantage of experience and the perspective of years. They can bring into any discussion, into life itself, views and wisdom not influenced unduly by excited passion or momentary impulse. Youth needs that kind of balance.

How unwise to ignore the wisdom of old age. One of the kings of Israel did so. “The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men…” (1 Kings 12:13-14). As a result a kingdom was divided, decimated, almost destroyed.

Faith also marks the best of old age. A larger experience in Christ confirms the truth cherished for many years. Such faith has survived doubts and challenges; it has been refined in the fire. Out of the struggle, not always victorious, against temptation, it emerges stronger.

Of course, length of years does not necessarily bring depth of wisdom and faith (Ecclesiastes 4:13). Years are filled with opportunity and accountability. Some old people may only have achieved a greater proportion of guilt as they near the judgment of God. But at its best old age is a time of wisdom and faith.

God wants old people to share their wisdom and faith. Exodus 10:2 is a command to grandparents: “…that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.” They were to relate to their grandchildren the story of God’s great deliverance.

God did not command that old people should tell of their achievements, what they had done. They were to recite to the next generation, the faithfulness and power of God. What an experience it is to hear shut-ins, people suffering, people in pain, people near death tell of the God of Israel and of Jesus who remains faithful (Hebrews 13:8).

Old age at its best, therefore, is a time of recollection and reflection. When Samuel was old, he spoke to the people of Israel, “As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day” (1 Samuel 12:2). Then he recounted some of the experiences of his life. God’s faithfulness was worth remembering. God had blessed him and guided God’s man into His own will.

Of course, old age must be more than a living in the past, a remembering of happier years now long gone. The Bible speaks of going on from “strength to strength.” The joys and sorrows, triumphs and tragedies of the years become building blocks on which to construct the present and anticipate the future. But what a blessing to share the joys and exuberance of the psalmist: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago” (Psalm 77:11).

Old age is a time of respect, according to the biblical pattern. The writer of Proverbs 23:22 commands the younger generation: “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” Moses directed the people of God to have high regard for their elders, virtually equating such an attitude with true worship: “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:32). Visualize the reception the king gave his mother (1 Kings 2:19).

Old people should understand that such respect from younger people is not automatic (Proverbs 16:31). When Paul wrote to Philemon, he claimed authority as “Paul – an old man,” but it was Paul, not just anybody. His life and his relationship to Philemon had been worthy of respect and honor from others. Old age at its best is virtuous old age, and possession of godliness should accompany the claim of respect.

It will be only small comfort to older people today to know that they are not the first to be denied the respect of the young. Others before them have been the subject of ridicule and abuse: “…Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. ‘Go on up, you baldhead!’ they said. ‘Go on up, you baldhead'” (2 Kings 2:23).

Lack of respect for the elderly is a sign of a nation in upheaval. Isaiah speaks of such a people under the judgment of God, a nation about to be destroyed: “People will oppress each other – man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the base against the honorable….Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling…” (Isaiah 3:5, 8).

Old age is also a time for a proper view of death. Christians are free to speak of death. In fact they must do so, for their God and His Son offer resources to face all of life, even the great reality of death. Others may avoid the subject; some may even fear to use the word. How foolish to ignore a sequence that has universal experience to substantiate it – birth, youth, maturity, old age, death. After old age comes death.

Death is not nothing. But it is also not horrible, not for the Christian. It is rather a thing of joy. In calm meditation old age can be a time of getting ready for a meeting with Jesus, you and He both fully alive. What a shame it would be to waste old age on the young. Hear Paul: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

Old age at its best is also a time of youthful vigor. Other “strengths” may fail, but the grace of God endures and can be realized in greater abundance. “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31). While the outward man grows weak, the inner man can be renewed day by day.

A youthful outlook is not the privilege only of the young. In the midst of advancing years, in fact just before his death, Moses gave a stirring farewell message to the people of Israel (Deuteronomy 4). He called them to live in the present, a day of privilege (vs. 4), advantage (vss. 8, 20), warning (vs. 26) and commitment (vss. 29-30). The love of Jesus is indeed “sweeter as the years go by.” Old age can be a time of renewed vitality, of spiritual vigor.

But old age, like any age, is also a time of service. “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree…. They will still bear fruit in old age…” (Psalm 92:12-15). Some challenges cannot be accepted; physical energy is just not available. But other service, often more valuable, can be rendered toward the close of life. Joshua in younger years had served in espionage, as Moses’ lieutenant, as an heroic warrior. But at the end of the book of Joshua, the last chapter of his life, he stands in dignity and serenity to render a high spiritual service to his God and people. For Joshua the best was last. God is not through using His people just because they happen to be old.

What can older people do? Pray. Tell your minister that you count it a privilege to pray for the needs of which he may be aware. Visit. Who is there better able to call on older people, to minister to shut-ins, to visit those in retirement homes, to do evangelism among the old and lonely? Read to children in a day-care center. Help one morning a week with a young mother in your church or with the caregiver of an elderly person. Volunteer for something.

Stand with Rabbi Ben Ezra and say, “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made….” Pray with the Psalmist: “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, ’til I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:18)