Loneliness can lead to depression and a serious decline in mental and physical wellbeing. That’s one of the reasons why at Faith in Later Life we are working hard to connect and serve the older people in our communities, through growing and mobilising our network of Church Champions- who are amazing! And of course ultimately we want to introduce older people to Jesus.

Our good friend (and Church Champion) Mavis shares God’s heart for the lonely and is faithfully obeying God’s calling on her heart to serve the older people in care homes and on hospital wards, so that everyone can know God.

We recently had the privilege of speaking to Mavis about her experiences and she shared with us how, by being obedient to God’s calling, she is seeing Him break into the loneliest of hearts and set people free.

The first story Mavis shared with us was one that she will never forget. On a visit to a care home, she went into the day room to lead her music session as normal. When she arrived, there was a new resident in the care home who Mavis had not met. The woman was very elderly and all she did was sit and stare out of the window.

Despite this, Mavis felt prompted by God to sit with her and so, she went over and began gently stroking her arm. When the care workers saw this, they quietly told Mavis that there wasn’t much point because the lady was non-verbal, but Mavis said she didn’t mind, she just wanted to sit with her.

As she sat with this woman, Mavis began to sign the well-loved song, ‘what a friend we have in Jesus’. Suddenly, the woman turned and rested her head on Mavis’ shoulder.

Then she started to sing.

Hearing the singing, the care worker came over, crying in disbelief, and asked what had happened.

Mavis simply replied: “It’s Jesus.”

Isn’t the mercy of God just overwhelming? What a friend, indeed! God says to all of his people, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 25:20

Mavis, like many of us, has felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit many times. Once, when she was visiting the hospital wards, she caught sight of a lady in the corner bed. The lady was alone, but when she saw Mavis, she smiled.

In that moment, even though she was late to be somewhere else, something meant she could not pass this woman by.

So, she went over and introduced herself. Completely unprompted, the woman shared how “as a child, I was buried three times in the Blitz. And do you know the worst? The worst was the sense that I was buried. It was silent. And I didn’t know if anybody even knew that I was there. Who would come to look for me? I cannot describe the overwhelming sense of loneliness. The feeling of being completely alone.”

Mavis replied, “but you were not alone. God said He would never leave or forsake you. Not once did God take His eyes off you. God directed people to look for you three times. That is how important you are to Him!”

They prayed together and then when Mavis turned to go, the woman said to her, “I am married, I have children and grandchildren, and I have never told anyone that story. I have carried that sense of loneliness and abandon until now.”

Mavis told us, “I don’t know where she is now, but I know she left that hospital free from those feelings because God broke in.”

Romans 8:39 reminds us that, “Neither height nor depth, not anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” How wonderful that whether we are buried under the rubble of life or literal rubble, we are never truly alone, for God is with us and He will set us free.

Because Mavis was obedient to God’s voice and she stroked the arm of the non-verbal lady and went and spoke to the woman who felt alone, God broke in, He redeemed, and He healed.

Mavis shared how over 4,000 people in care homes won’t go to eternity because the church didn’t catch the vision of God’s love for older people. It is a call of accountability to us all. We each have a responsibility to reach people, regardless of their age or ability.

How is God calling you to act today?

We often expect God to speak in a loud booming voice, but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes He speaks in small ways like a tug at your heartstrings and often, as Mavis shared above, it isn’t always convenient. We might have other things we need to do today, but when we obey God’s calling, we get to see Him work wonders.

What an incredible thing to play a part in God’s mission to reach His people.

Maybe all God is asking of you is to call a relative you haven’t spoken to for a long time, send an email to a long-lost friend, or sign up to be part of a community committed to helping those in need.

If you feel moved to help those who feel alone in this world, but you don’t know where to start, send us an email. We would love to help! And if you have a story of encouragement to share, just like those above, of God breaking into impossible situations and transforming people’s lives, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

Let’s work together and help people understand that, with God we are never truly alone.

This is not a mother and daughter meeting but a teacher and a teacher, one aged 93 years and one in her 50s, making one a teacher of the other! Older and younger, serving and receiving.  This is an exciting moment we had at the weekend. It is beneficial to all to engage young professionals in visiting older people for wisdom and inspiration.

It’s not always that the older person that needs help, but they have value and wisdom to impart and encourage the younger generation.

Sometimes when we target different groups and visit older professionals it encourages them because some retire with contentment and success, others with regret about how they ended their working life. This is just God’s grace at work and to those in later life we can be of great help in praying and visiting- when God opens the door!

1. Reminding the older people amongst us of opportunity to look back and not regret but thank God.
2. Telling the young generation that one day hopefully we shall all be there (older) and need a visit.
3. Older people look for groups or individual people to share happiness, joy, and sadness, and to reflect on living the later part of their life.

Thanks to God for the family who cares for our dear Mum (Phoebe), she is an example that even in old age, God cares deeply for us.

Rev Tom Ochuka is a Pastor and Faith in Later Life Church Champion based in Kenya.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Theresa, a Salvation Army officer, and also a Faith in Later Life Church Champion. Theresa is the newly appointed vicar for the Salvation Army Church in Swindon and, as she has completed six years in service, she now holds the rank of Captain. Theresa kindly took some time out of her busy schedule to speak to us about the work she is doing as part of the Salvation Army and how she is connecting with her new congregation during COVID.

The Salvation Army is a Christian church first and foremost, but they are also a registered charity. This means that Theresa is the minister of her church first, so she deals with all the things vicars deal with including working with organisations across the town supporting groups for the homeless, the elderly, the disabled, and children. In Theresa’s words, “we respond to a need as there is a need within the community we work.”

Theresa shared how she is fairly new to Swindon, having left her previous congregation and community behind in Taunton, to start up a new life in Swindon in July last year. So, she is still getting to know her new community and what their various needs are. She told us how “I pick up what people have done before me as well as what can be improved. We all have different skills and gifts that God gives us, so we all work slightly differently because we all have different life experiences and skills that we bring to the job. I am still getting to know what it is God wants us to do here particularly.”

Theresa has started her new position doing unprecedented times and, due to the Coronavirus and various government restrictions, all normal activities have been put on hold. She told us how, “we don’t have any of the mother or toddler groups, church worship, prayer meetings, or over sixties groups running because we aren’t allowed to meet with so many people.”

So, Theresa has been taking the time to get to know her new community by ringing each member of her congregation, as well as visiting people in their homes with doorstep or garden visits. She shared with us how these uncertain times have actually been a blessing to her in some ways because they have meant she has had the time and the opportunity to spend time with the older people in her congregation.

One of the most significant struggles Theresa has come across when talking to the older people in her community is that of loneliness. “Older people are just so lonely,” she shared with us, “I have been out this morning and visited a lady who has mental health issues, as well as a physical disability, and she said her cleaner came last week but that was the last time she had seen anybody.”

To help combat the loneliness in older people, Theresa has members of her church ringing other people on a regular basis. Talking about the lady above, Theresa said, “we now ring her twice a week to keep in touch. Just giving her someone to talk to a couple of times a week is what makes all the difference.”

In addition to phone calls, Theresa sends out a church newsletter every week to her members that includes a pause for thought, news from the congregation, and an activity. Each week, a selection of these newsletters is hand-delivered by a member of the congregation to ensure each person has had face-to-face contact with someone from the church at least once a month.

Theresa told us how “even a wave through the window was enough to show that I had made time to come and see them. I am doing what I can within the constraints of what I know and what the government advises. At the end of the day, it’s about relationship building, knowing who they are and remembering who they are that makes all the difference.”

Over the years of working in churches, Theresa has seen God move in so many remarkable ways. She loves watching how God encourages intergenerational love. One story Theresa shared with us was about an older lady in her congregation who was on her own after her husband had passed away. She was very lonely, and her confidence had shrunk significantly since she had been left alone. Seeing this, Theresa knew she could help.

Theresa spoke to a family in the church, a grandma who brought her grandchildren to the service every Sunday and asked if she would befriend this older lady. The grandma was much younger than this lady and was delighted to help. Soon enough, she had befriended the lady, as had her grandchildren. It didn’t take long for the mother to be introduced to the lady and invited her round for lunch. Now, she goes to their house every week for Sunday lunch and spends most weekends there as part of that family. Just being connected back in with a community and with people who loved her as she was helped pull this lady out of her loneliness and into God’s love.

Speaking with us, Theresa shared how she has found the best way to connect and empower older people is simply to listen. She shared how it is a privilege to sit down and hear peoples’ life stories.

They will share about getting married, raising a family, work adventures, travel, the war, all sorts of incredible things! And simply by sitting down and listening, you get to be a part of that and share in their wisdom. She told us how “it is a unique position to be in and one that is such a blessing.”

As it says in the Psalms, “the righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.” – Psalm 92:12-14

We wonder if there are any ways you could listen to and support the older people in your community? For support and resources to help, why not invite a friend to join our community of Church Champions?

Rhi has been a part of her church’s older people’s ministry for the past four years, which began with her and a friend meeting up to pray about how they could serve the older members in their church. In addition to her role at her church, Rhi is also an Occupational Therapist (OT) with the NHS. Her experience working on a dementia ward is where she describes God showing her His heart for her to work with older people. She admitted that she hadn’t always been passionate about working with older people, but as God kept placing her in jobs caring for older people, her passion grew, and she could see His guiding hand in it.

Rhi explained to us how her work as an OT informs her approach and attitude in her ministry work. She wants to be able to support the older people in her church; physically, mentally, and spiritually. She quoted John 10;10 ‘…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly’, and explained how she wants to help the older people in her church live life more fully. The name of their older people’s work is aptly named HOPE Life, Helping Older People Enjoy Life.

Rhi is deeply passionate about empowering, and also challenging, older people in her group about their involvement in church life. She believes that older people have a responsibility to share their wisdom and experience with the younger members of the church, in the same way the young members have a responsibility to learn from and respect them. She sees her role as facilitating this, creating opportunities for the older member to step up, share and engage, and, as a result, feel more valued. One way she is doing this is by connecting older members of the church with the student to stay in touch, which she says has been particularly valuable during the pandemic, and it helps the students to get to know the older people as individuals.

Rhi was also very clear that an important part of this is churches being much more positive about aging. She explained that a negative view of ageing tells older people ‘we don’t want to be like you’, which can mean older members are more likely to count themselves out and not get as involved. Rhi described that society makes idols out of independence and productivity, so that when you lose these things, you lose your value. Therefore, churches need be careful to not share in this.

Rather, churches need to be breaking down the misconceptions of old age and be willing to adapt so that older people can get involved in outreach, events, and church life. An example Rhi gave at her church was that some older members in her group were keen to get involved with the church outreach but weren’t able to help with initiatives such as the soup kitchen. Then, a local care home got in touch asking if anyone from the church would be able to volunteer and visit the residents, which the older members were keen to do! They then started making regular visits, having social time with residents, with the opportunity to outreach too.

Rhi also suggested some helpful tips and approaches that she uses in her work, that you can apply to your ministry too:

• It is important to understand the needs of older people, not what we think their needs are, and ask them what they want.
• Older people’s ministry isn’t one-sided. It isn’t solely about supporting an older person, but all being ‘in it together’.
• It can be good to (respectfully) challenge older people on how they are meeting their biblical responsibility to share their wisdom and experience.
• Meet up with other people working in older people’s ministry in your local churches or community and discuss your work and share ideas. Being a part of our Church Champion community is great for that too!

Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age. Job 32:7

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah, a Faith in Later Life Church Champion based in Enfield, North London and part of Enfield Town Community Church. Sarah shared with us when her passion for serving older people was ignited and how she is using her giftings to serve those people in her church and wider community during this time.

As a child, Sarah did not grow up with a passion for older people. She merely saw them as old and did not know what she could bring that would benefit them in any way. Over the years, she worked with many young people in the church and in her profession as a nurse, a healthcare visitor, and a midwife.

It wasn’t until 2013 rolled around and Sarah was considering semi-retirement that she asked her Pastor how she could use her new-found free time to serve the church. Her Pastor suggested she could be perfect for serving The Ladies Fellowship Group, as the current leaders were stepping down. Sarah’s first response was, “you’ve got to be joking! What do I know about older people?” But after some time and prayer, she thought she would just give it a go.

Sarah remembers the very moment God transformed her heart for the older people in her church and wider community. It happened at the very first ladies fellowship meeting. Sarah shared with us how, “there were about twenty to thirty people in the room. I knew most of them from church, but as I looked around at each one of them, I thought ‘I really love you. You are really special people’. And that is when my perception changed from them just being older people to actually being really special seniors.”

As Sarah shared this with us, we were reminded of Ezekiel 36:26 which says; “and I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” While this verse is often shared when people give their lives to God, it is a wonderful reminder that God gives us His heart, a heart of love, compassion, and care for His people.

It didn’t take long for this small group of 30-40 women to grow as it opened its doors to all seniors in church and the wider community. The group changed its name to Monday Meet and soon enough, Sarah was seeing over 100 people come through the doors each week.

As the numbers grew, many of the members began inviting their non-Christian friends to enjoy the Bible talk, quiz or craft, and friendly fellowship. With so many people in attendance, Sarah started a monthly group called Soup and Sweets that ran on a Monday and offered a meal to everyone who came along. These meals saw even more attendees, with over 120 people coming along each month!

Whether the monthly meals or weekly meetups, Sarah provided a consistent love and care for these people. Although the activities changed, the biscuits might have been different, the meals varied, God remained the same. He loved every person that came to Monday Meet and He desired to know each of them personally.

So, when lockdown meant over 100 people were unable to meet each week, Sarah took it upon herself to keep in touch with every single person. There was no individual left behind. She shared her Father’s heart to love other people selflessly.

Despite being labelled clinically vulnerable during the lockdown period, Sarah made sure to phone everybody who came along to the Monday groups, as well as all the seniors in her church once a week. During these phone calls, Sarah asked people whether they needed any practical help, such as grocery deliveries or transport to appointments, and she took the time to talk and pray with them. To Sarah, it seemed like the right thing to do, but to so many others it was like a lifeline in a difficult time.

Currently, the group is still unable to meet on a Monday, due to restrictions around COVID, but Sarah is still working hard to keep them all connected. Currently, Sarah posts a weekly letter to each person that includes a written Bible talk, a Bible verse, an activity, and a personal note. In addition to this, she has organised a team of seniors from her church to phone five people each week and talk with them.

As Sarah shared with us, “the purpose is to encourage folks to talk about their family and the things going on with them, but to also aim to discuss the Bible verse and the talk. From that, many people are praying over the phone and it has been such a boost for everyone. Everybody always has someone to talk to.”

Every morning, Sarah is typically on the phone for two to three hours, checking in with people and catching up. In the afternoons, she compiles the materials for that week’s postal delivery and writes a personal note to each person because “you don’t get handwritten notes anymore and it just adds that extra special touch.”

Sarah has some beautiful stories to share of how people have been impacted by her ministry. She shared with us how one lady had started coming along to ‘Monday Meet’ several years ago but she lived quite far away, so she didn’t come often. In the first week of lockdown, Sarah gave her a call and the lady shared how she was moving house but would be happy for Sarah to send her information in the post about the group and to keep in touch. So, Sarah connected this lady up with someone from the church who would phone her each week.

A month passed and Sarah was doing her monthly call-rounds of everyone when she rang this lady once again. The lady shared how she had moved into her new house which was just around the corner from Sarah’s church. She also shared how she had started reading her Bible and really enjoying it. She told Sarah, “I don’t know how to pray, so what I do is cut the prayers out from the bottom of the letters you send me and stick them into a book that I read from.”

Sarah talked to this lady for some time and after some fervent chatting, it seemed she had committed her life to Jesus as a teenager but never done much about it. Then, she got married, raised a family, and went far away from the Lord. But now, many years later, she felt herself being drawn back to Him.

What a wonderful reminder that it is never too late. God is calling us to Him.

Another encouraging story Sarah shared with us was about a couple who used to come along to ‘Monday Meet’, irregularly. The gentleman was a Christian and very keen to attend church, but his wife had not and rarely encouraged him to go. On the rare occasion he managed to persuade her along, she was quite unhappy and unfriendly until, eventually, they stopped coming altogether.

Two or three weeks ago, one of the senior members from Sarah’s church was in a department store café with his wife when a man came over to him and asked if he went to church. He asked, “do you remember me? I used to go to your church!” So, the three of them sat together and talked.

It transpired that the gentleman had been caring for his wife who had developed Dementia. Sadly, his wife had become very abusive, physically and verbally, due to her illness, but he had remained determined to look after her. He shared how he felt that he had to share the gospel with her again and so he did. To his surprise, she burst into tears and said, “I see Jesus, He is dying on the cross for me.”

Just three to four days after this occurred, his wife’s Dementia worsened severely, and she was admitted to hospital. She then went into a care home and just six weeks later, she went to be with Jesus.

God never gives up on us. It does not matter how many years have passed or how far we have drifted away from Him, He is always pursuing us – even unto death! “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” – Psalm 23:6

God is doing such an incredible work through Sarah and her ministry towards older people. Her heart for others is simply inspiring and we could not help but be moved as she shared how she is sharing God’s love with others. Near the end of the call, she told us how “we are in this for the long haul. I have so many people who say they get excited on Wednesday now because they know the postman will bring their envelope. It is about giving them that something to look forward to.

It just shows what you can do with the time the Lord gives you. It’s the little things that make a difference. Have a think about what you could do that might help or bless someone else.

Who could you invite to join our Church Champion community today?

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Judi about her work with older people, particularly during the impact of the Coronavirus. Judi is part of a Baptist Church in Bristol, and is a Faith in Later Life Church Champion. The church building is very modern, and one of Judi’s jobs is to create the window displays. Judi spoke with us about her ministry with older people and how she is working to create that connection between communities and the church even despite these strange times.

Judi shared with us how her involvement with older people became more natural as she got older. She shared with us how, “my involvement with older people and my interest of them has always been there, but it kind of kicked off when my husband and I retired. We can see clearer what it’s like in older age. So, it has been natural for us to gravitate towards that age group more than we did before.” Judi referred to her ministry with older people as a natural extension of her stage of life.

Sometimes, God calls us to serve from the place we are already in. Often, our life experiences and the stage of life we are at helps us more easily connect with those around us. For example, mother and baby groups create connection between people in a similar stage of life, as do groups for the elderly. And Judi certainly found that as she got older, her stage of life and the experiences she had were shared by many others in her age group. God wanted to use where she was at, this natural connection, to share His love with the older people around her.

Judi is on a team that runs a luncheon club. She shared with us how at first, she was a helper. It was her job to set up the tables. The luncheon club was catering for 70 people and she and her husband would have to get there early in the morning to get everything ready. They would also help by offering people lifts there and home again, in addition to serving at the club.

At 81, Judi is now a member of the luncheon club herself. She helps introduce people and get people talking. The luncheon club is a mix of Christians and non-Christians. It is a place where people can enjoy a two-course meal and a tea or coffee. There is then a ten-minute talk, a hymn, and a prayer. Although there are a lot of non-Christians in attendance, many of them appreciate this structure and enjoy hearing what the talks are about.

As a natural extension of the luncheon club, Judi started ‘Friday Fusion’ (fun, friendship, and faith) and was overjoyed when 50 people came to the first session. Judi shared how, “during the programme we sometimes have a speaker, or I can interview people to help draw out their story. We therefore communicate faith in a natural way and people have liked and enjoyed it.”

During the effects of COVID, Judi has done her best to maintain socially distanced groups of six, such as her weekly craft morning for ladies. These mornings are a wonderful time for people to get together and talk. But with the restrictions, it has been important to keep the rules strict to ensure that everyone is protected.

The church has also been offering a communion service, all arranged with the safety precautions in mind. Judi has been using pre-packaged communion wines and wafers to take into care homes. This helps connect those who cannot attend a church service in a way they could not before.

As it has been for most people, Judi has found it challenging to connect with people safely during COVID. She feels the burden on her heart to care for older people and help make sure they are looked after and not feeling lonely during this time. As a result, Judi devotes a lot of her time to creating newsletters, cards, and other items that can be delivered to people as a reminder that they are not forgotten.

From a personal standpoint, Judi has also arranged to walk with people. She finds this is a great way to connect and, in addition to regular phone calls, she is in touch with about 150 people on a regular basis. As Judi told us, “there are so many people feeling so cut off. If I didn’t make the first move, I would feel the same. If you have the strength to be proactive, you must do what you can because your role is vital in connecting people together – and at this time that is very important.”

Judi shared with us a story of her neighbour whose husband died. She shared with us how, “I befriended her, and I offered to go to a bereavement service with her which was non-threatening, to remember people. I went with her to the local parish church. She attended a bereavement counselling service and I accompanied her to that. She was willing to come to ‘Friday Fusion’ and it has helped her connect with God.”

We are always so encouraged to hear how striking up friendships with people helps lead them to the Lord! God asks us to love people and when we do that, He attracts them in. As Debbie said, “people are coming to church and they are listening. They are going to church and they are being drawn in. It’s about friendship and connecting with people.”

‘And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.’ – Hebrews 10:24-25

How can you connect with someone today? Take a moment to consider who you could offer the gift of friendship too. Friendships and connections are getting so many people through this lonely and difficult time because they are helping people connect with a God who loves them. If you love and value an older person, it makes them consider that perhaps, God loves and values them too. And you get to be a witness to God working a miracle in that person’s life by bringing them into a knowledge of Him, His sacrifice for them, and His constant presence and help in times of trouble.

We would love to support more people who are in ministry with older people, or who are interested in starting something new. Who can you share our Church Champions page with today?

‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ – Psalm 46

There is a growing collection of statements and videos on the Churches Together in England (CTE) page here, some of which could be watched in groups for discussion.

Pastor Agu Irukwu, national leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) UK, and one of the CTE Presidents, released a statement via a YouTube video which can be watched here.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, released a joint statement with Archbishop of York John Sentamu on Tuesday 2nd June:

Let us be clear: racism is an affront to God. It is born out of ignorance, and must be eradicated. We all bear the responsibility and must play our part to eliminate this scourge on humanity.

As Dr Martin Luther King Jr said, “In a real sense, we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Therefore, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

We pray that God’s abounding wisdom, compassion and love will guide leaders across the world to forge a better society.

Rev Lynn Green, General Secretary of Baptists Together, said this:

The time for superficial platitudes and excuses really is well and truly over. My plea is that we seize this moment and take some giant leaps forward in terms of becoming the kind of Kingdom Movement that God is calling us towards – beautiful, just, loving and rejoicing in the richness of the global church and the whole of humanity.

John Stevens, the national director of FIEC, writes this:

“We can make a start by acknowledging the reality of sin, emphasizing the pain of our brothers and sisters who daily face prejudice in society, and taking confidence that it is the gospel message of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus, who is building his church, that can along bring about the reconciled humanity we long for.”

The United Reformed Church offer this prayer:

Eternal God,
deeply troubled by what is happening following George Floyd’s death,
and by too much other inhumanity that doesn’t reach the headlines,
we cry to you as the one
whose love was the victor at Easter and
who pours it into our hearts at Pentecost.

As we observe the pain of a fractured world,
use your love to drive us from sadness to compassion;
as we watch the pain of the bereaved,
use your love to move us from pity to companionship;
as we are faced with the pain of marginalised people,
use your love to point us from complacency to your commonwealth.

In our praying,
let us not just talk to you,
but yield to your love;
in our anger,
let us not just rail against injustice,
but manifest your love;
in our actions,
let us not just flail about aimlessly,
but build the civilisation of love.

Until none of us are disregarded for who we are
nor any diminished by what we fail to be,
we keep on praying in the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen

At Faith in Later Life, with our focus on older people, we are aware that healthcare has been one area where there are serious disparities between white people and people from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority (BAME) communities, even before coronavirus. People from BAME communities in the UK face above average rates of dementia and may also be less likely to get a timely diagnosis.

Churches are often at the forefront of providing social, community and pastoral care, but research has shown that older people from BAME communities who are from poorer backgrounds have less access to healthcare, they are less likely to be taken seriously when they do seek help, and there isn’t enough research into the conditions that they may be more prone to. Read more here. How can we respond as Christians, to this inequality?

As Christians, and as church communities, we must go the extra mile especially at this time of global pandemic, to ensure the physical and spiritual needs of older people are noticed; and the impact of Coronavirus coupled with horrific killing of George Floyd, have provided a devastating and distressing reminder of the need to fight against prejudice and racial injustice at every opportunity.

‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ’. 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NIV)

Welcome to this ‘Faith in Later Life’ May newsletter, and thank you for your continued interest and support. As ever, please do invite others to sign up to receive our news, if you think it would be of interest.

One body, many parts

I have been reflecting recently, amidst the challenges (and for many, suffering and loss) of the coronavirus pandemic; and again and again what has sprung to mind is how we, the body of Christ, can all make a difference to those around us. To those in our church family, our family and friends, and our neighbours. And as the above scripture references, we all have a part to play (and many of us are already doing lots), no matter now insignificant we may feel. Across society, locally, nationally, in the media, in schools, in politics, in our neighbourhoods, there seems to be a renewed openness to the Christian message.

Even if we can’t leave our house, we can have conversations over the garden fence, or on the phone. And of course we can pray for specific individuals who may be struggling in this current season. For more reflections on what we can all be doing during this coronavirus crisis, have a read of this blog by Gavin Calver, of the Evangelical Alliance.

This month we co-hosted a roundtable alongside Evangelical Alliance, bringing together Christian care home providers, denominational leaders and a group of practitioners and experts, with a focus on thinking through our response to covid19- thinking about messages to government, but also across the Church. Please pray as this work progresses.

At Faith in Later Life we are also continuing to produce free bite size blogs and resources, to provide hopefully helpful reflections and suggestions, as we seek to navigate through this season together. We also wrote out to our ‘Church Champions’ earlier this month, seeking their views on how we can support them more, and we were greatly encouraged to hear of all that individuals and churches are doing to support each other and their wider community. If you are interested in joining our Church Champion network do read on for more of this later in this newsletter.

Daily Hope – update

If you missed it in the newsletter last month, and haven’t heard of it elsewhere, last month we worked with the Church of England, and the ‘Connections’ initiative at Holy Trinity Claygate, to launch a free 24/7 telephone service called Daily Hope. This is free for anyone to call (irrespective of denomination- or whether the caller is even a believer), and when someone calls they will have the option of listening to some comforting old hymns, or hear a prayer, or to listen to some helpful talks and reflections. We want to minister to older Christians who may not be “tech savvy”, and we want to reach older people more broadly, with the good news of Jesus.

In one month over 108,000 calls have been made, with total call time of over 1.2 million minutes. And it is wonderful to hear from people who have benefited and who are telling others:

“What a brilliant idea! I have already passed it on to many people at church. Several of them have no computers, this will be a lifeline for them”.

The number, free to call from landlines or mobiles (in the UK) is 0800 804 8044. Spread the word!

Book of the month

Our May book of the month is ‘Beyond the Big C’ by Jeremy Marshall. ‘Beyond the Big C’ chronicles Jeremy’s extraordinary relationship with cancer and, more than anything, his extraordinary relationship with the person who promises life beyond the prognosis. The essence of Jeremy’s story is that despite the sickness and disease present in the world, a life lived in light of Christ’s death on the cross means there is hope for the future no matter what.

‘Finishing Well’ – Coming soon!

You may be aware that we have been in the planning stages to have our forthcoming book published. Written by Revd Canon Ian Knox, ‘Finishing Well: A God’s eye view of ageing’ is finally being published next month and we are really excited! We hope it will be a blessing and an encouragement, and we will be publicising it more in our next newsletter. If you would like a taster do download this free PDF from our website.

Join our network?

As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, we are continuing to seek to provide resources and support across our ‘Church Champion’ network, and we recently surveyed our network of Champions, gauging their views on their local context but also how we at Faith in Later Life can effectively support them. We have plans to grow this network this year, and gather people from churches in the UK and beyond who are involved with or passionate about, ministry with seniors.

Especially in the midst of this global pandemic, now is a critical time for us as Christians to move forward together, serving and empowering our older church members, and reaching older people for Christ. If this is an area of ministry you are already involved with at your church (or you would like to be supported in), would you join our network? If you have any questions you can email me or give me a call, I’d love to chat with you about it. There is no cost, and journeying together will be a blessing for us all. You can register here.

Looking forward

Despite not being able to meet in person, we are still seeking to support and equip churches and those who would like to hear from us. So if your church would welcome a ‘virtual visit’ from us, do get in touch. In the coming weeks we are planning a number of webinars, and the first will be in collaboration with the organisation Jubilee+, and this will provide an opportunity to reflect on the key issues facing older people (who are of course not a homogeneous group) during this pandemic; and how the Church can demonstrate the love of Christ at this time. For more information or to book here (free), click here.

Yours in Christ,

Carl Knightly
Chief Executive, Faith in Later Life

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has been meeting regularly with a ‘Places of Worship’ task group on opening buildings for prayer, which has included the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Westminster and Daniel Singleton from the independent network Faith Action.

From Monday 15 June places of worship will be permitted to open for individual prayer in line with social distancing guidelines. Robert Jenrick MP said: “Ensuring places of worship can open again, beginning with individual prayer has been my priority. Their contribution to the common good of our country is clear, as places of solace, comfort, stability and dignity. And the need for them is all the greater as we weather the uncertainties of the pandemic.”

These words are interesting. There is a recognition in this of the common good provided by churches, even by church buildings, and the need for “solace, comfort, stability and dignity” in the face of coronavirus.

Many older people have longstanding and personal connections with the building in which they worship. It may be the place where they or their family were christened or married or buried. However, churches in other countries who have opened sooner than the UK have found people are ‘too afraid’ to go even when they are open. There may be concerns about church hygiene, despite guidelines from denominations on this, and about travel and health risk, and fear of a very different experience to normal. And we must not forget that many church communities do not own their church building (and so cannot necessarily just open it again).

Places of worship still have discretion over when they consider it safe to open and may decide to remain closed or reopen at a slower pace if they wish. Other religions are not rushing, particularly where they have more of a focus on communal rather than individual prayer.

Matthew 18:20 says that ‘where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them’ – but we also know Jesus made it a habit to pray alone. We can pray with others over the phone, and we can continue to grow in our faith whether or not we choose to go to a church building during continued ‘lockdown’.

The Bible says that when Christians believe that in Christ the “solace, comfort, stability and dignity” referred to by the Secretary of State can be found even without a building.

Here are some prayers and verses which can be prayed individually at home or in a church:

Solace

God of love and hope, you made the world and care for all creation. But the world feels strange right now. The news is full of stories about Coronavirus. Many people are anxious because of it. Many people are anxious that they might get ill. Many people are anxious about their family and friends. Be with them in their worries and help them to find some peace. We pray for the doctors and nurses and scientists who are working to discover the right medicines to give hope to those who are ill. Thank you that even in these strange and worrying times, you are with us. Help us to look for the signs of your goodness and love towards us. Amen.

Comfort

Lord God, you are always with me. You are with me in the day and in the night. You are with me when I’m happy and when I’m sad. You are with me when I’m healthy and when I am ill. You are with me when I am peaceful and when I am anxious. Today I am feeling (name how you are feeling) because (reasons you are feeling this way). Help me to remember that you love me and are with me in everything today. Amen.

These prayers are from the United Reformed Church free online resource which can be found on our resource hub here.

Stability

From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. – Psalm 90:2

Almighty God, to know You are unchanging gives me peace in a frighteningly changing world.

From Billy Graham’s daily devotions.

Dignity

Galatians 3:28 says: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 139:13 reminds us that God “formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm139:14).

Thank you Father God that you treat us with dignity, even when it can feel like the world does not. Please help us to treat others – all others – with the dignity they deserve.

Amen.