wfn.org | UMNS# 634-New video explores 'gifts of aging'

["NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

New video explores 'gifts of aging'

Nov. 10, 2005

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - A new video produced by the United Methodist
Church's Board of Discipleship drives home the point that God's call
doesn't end when a person retires and neither does the retiree's value
to the church.

"God didn't call us to be Christians just until we reach a certain age,"
says the Rev. Hazel Bennett, chairperson of the United Methodist
Committee on Older Adult Ministries and one of the voices on "New
Beginnings: The Gifts of Aging."

The 20-minute video features vignettes demonstrating the active role
older adults are playing in the life of the church and society.

In the United States, 35 million people are over the age of 65, and that
number will rise to 70 million by 2030. In the United Methodist Church,
about 62 percent of the members are 50 or older, says the Rev. Richard
H. Gentzler Jr., director of the United Methodist Board of
Discipleship's Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries.

"We cannot afford to allow the faith, wisdom and experience that abound
in older adults to be lost or under utilized," he says. "The church has
the opportunity to reframe the experience of aging and help cultivate
among older adults the qualities of spiritual maturity."

Developed by the Board of Discipleship's Center on Aging and Older Adult
Ministries in cooperation with the Committee on Older Adult Ministries,
the video is meant to be "encouraging and hopeful," Gentzler says.

The average person in the United States may enjoy 20 to 30 more years of
life in relatively good health and with sufficient income after reaching
60, Gentzler says. Myths about older adults portray them as quiet, calm
and disengaged from life, work and service.

"Interesting, nowhere in the Bible does it say that Christians are to
retire from discipleship," Gentzler says. "Rather, we are invited and
encouraged to plan for new activities and pursuits that bring joy and
satisfaction in later years."

The video takes a look at aging in society and offers a glimpse into the
lives of older adults, such as 94-year-old Alma Sloan, who has been
baking communion bread for Creighton (Mo.) United Methodist Church since
1976. In another vignette, Ray and Ruth Thompson, both in their 70s,
collect day-old baked goods and distribute them to the needy in their
community seven days a week. Other stories on the video show older
adults tutoring children, repairing homes and learning new skills.

"Older adults need a safe place to work through the next phase of their
lives," says Elbert Cole, executive director and founder of Shepherd's
Centers of America and a member of the Committee on Older Adult
Ministries.

Bishop Violet L. Fisher, New York West Area, says people who are aging
are feeling left out. "Too much emphasis has been placed on the baby
boomers and Generation Xers."

Suanne Ware-Diaz, on staff with the United Methodist Commission on Race
and Religion in Washington, sums up the value of including older adults
in the life of the church: "We need you."

"New Beginnings: The Gifts of Aging" is available in DVD and VHS formats
at $15 each. It was produced by United Methodist Communications and is
available for ordering at www.upperroom.org/bookstore. A leader's guide
has also been developed and is available for free at www.aging-umc.org
or by contacting the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries, P.O.
Box 340003, Nashville, TN 37202-0003; phone: (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7177;
fax: (615) 340-7071; or e-mail rgentzler@gbod.org.

The Committee on Older Adult Ministries also has announced that it has
limited funding for grants available in older adult ministry. The grants
are to assist United Methodist congregations, districts, annual
conferences and church-related institutions in developing and
implementing older adult ministries.

Grant applications must be submitted on or before Jan. 15 for 2006. The
maximum amount of any single grant awarded is up to $2,500. For
additional information, contact Teri Kline at the above address and
phone number or tkline@gbod.org. A downloadable application is available
at www.aging-umc.org.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in
Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470
or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org