their congregations—from playing the organ to teaching Sunday school to serving on church boards and commit- tees. Now in their 70s, both stay in touch with Lutheran friends in other churches around the country and hear a common complaint. “Tere are very few programs focused on seniors,” Larry Leatz said. “It’s really a disap- pointment and a big need.” Darlene Leatz said every congregation needs to figure
out how to engage older adults in more active ways. Too oſten they’re given few choices and feel leſt out. “People have worked their whole life and used their talents and now—nothing,” she said.
Talent & needs search How can churches identify the talents and needs of their older members? In 1996, Church Resources Inc. was established to help
congregations prepare for the expected increase of older members. Although the organization identified ministry opportunities with older adults, it was unable to generate congregational interest in the results, said Aaron Peder- son, who worked with the company for 10 years. “It was met with ambivalence from the clergy,” said Pederson, academic director for the Wittenberg Institute:
visited her earlier that day. “Tere’s the reason to be around,” Dilley had told her, “so you can see those kids and so I can come to see you.” She thought about it for a moment: “Well, maybe that’s why.” Maybe it was one reason. But we also learned that
she had lessons to teach and much to endure. One Saturday my son, Joel, and his daughter, Grace,
visited her. She wanted Grace to sing for her, so Joel picked up the hymnal that sat on her table and they sang “Amazing Grace.” He then asked Linda what else she’d like to sing. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” she immediately responded. It was her favorite hymn, but Grace didn’t know the tune. So Linda sang it in her weak voice, and Grace
learned a beloved hymn. What began as a visit to brighten Linda’s day became a ministry by her to her 9-year-old great-granddaughter. Tis past July, Linda died. While she had said for
more than a year that she was ready, waiting had been hard, especially the last several weeks. Death does not always come easily. But through it all, we learned about love and patience. And we saw glimpses of grace in her life and ours.
Lutheran Graduate School of Teology near Seattle. “It was seen as another program to push. Tey didn’t see the need. Tey didn’t see the wave of baby boomers retiring.” In 1998 the Senior Ministry Inventory was created to
help congregations determine the needs for members age 50 and older (
www.elderministry.com/contact-us). It features 174 questions focused on medical, social, psychological, community, housing, legal and relational needs. “Tis really helps a congregation see where the pitfalls
are and where they need to focus their attention,” Peder- son said. In one congregation, several members had said on the inventory that they couldn’t take care of their feet. As a
20
At Roseni Lutheran Church, rural Beresford, S.D., one of the intergenera- tional activities that happens throughout the year is older women teaching and passing on the skill of quilting to a younger generation, such as Doris Hughes (left) and Kendra Jensen.
JAY PICKTHORN October 2014 19
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