Two months out
‘A circle of love’ W
Congregation offers seniors Maundy Thursday feast(s)
hen the octogenarians arrived at the church, some with assistance, the parishioners were ready for them. The congregation had valet parking, greeters, and people to hang coats and tag people’s walkers. Jim and Judy Cobb, pas- tors, were robed and ready to welcome them as well. Two years ago, Ascension Lutheran Church, Towson, Md., invited all members 80 years and older to attend a special Maundy Thursday worship service and luncheon. “I had no idea how many people were over 80,” Judy Cobb said. “That information wasn’t in our computer. I guessed we might have a total of 40, but it was really almost 100 people, half of whom were homebound or in assisted living places.” Nearly 70 attended the service.
The idea had come from the elders them-
selves. Though they attended worship in their assisted living facilities or watched services on Sunday morning television, many yearned to attend a Maundy Thursday service at their home church. “When I visited the homebound, they expressed a longing to take part in the con- fession and absolution, and take communion together,” she added. As plans developed, it became apparent that it would take more people and planning than origi- nally envisioned. “But whenever an obstacle seemed insurmountable, someone would come forward to help,” Cobb said. Drivers volunteered to transport more than 30 people, some of whom
had walkers and wheelchairs. One doctor took a day off from work so she could bring two people who needed special care. Someone cre- ated a “ticket-key” system for valet
parking, a necessity since the parking lot is across a four-lane highway. To accommodate the older members in the wor- ship service, everyone remained seated throughout the service. People were ushered to every other pew so the pastors could move along the empty rows to give abso- lution and communion to the people. In addition to the service, Ascension held a luncheon that allowed the older adults to enjoy the company of their peers. “They had worked, worshiped, prayed and played together for years, and they wanted to see one another face to face,” Cobb said. Julie Lauver, a member and professional photogra-
pher, took individual portraits of the guests and more than 100 helpers to be put into a book for the elders. Donna Mollenkopf, another parishioner, said, “The elders ... sustained the congregation in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s with their dollars, time, work, vision and commitment. Now we gathered again as a com- munity of faith—the able and the less able, the ones familiar to us and others we know as names on the prayer lists. It formed a circle of love.”
Despite the time and effort, “every person who worked on it said: ‘Call me again.’ I do think it was a glimpse of reunion in the king- dom,” Cobb said. M
Emily Demuth Ishida
Ishida is a freelance writer and member of Grace Lutheran Church, Villa Park, Ill.
For more information, contact pastorjudy cobb@ascensiontow
son.org.
Ascension Lutheran Church, Towson, Md., honored senior members
JULIE LAUVER
by inviting them to a special Maundy Thursday worship service and lunch. A photographer was on hand to capture both guests and volunteer helpers, later placing the photos in a book for the elders to enjoy.
Send your congregational stories—both those for a specific month/holiday or your best timeless idea—to
julie.sevig@
thelutheran.org. February 2011 39
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