By Ashley Wiehe
Director of Advancement

In a recent church meeting, our committee was discussing an upcoming event. It was the start of renovations for the church, and we needed everyone’s help.

We started to discuss volunteer opportunities. We needed people to move boxes. We needed people to clean areas. We needed people to bake goods for snacks during the moving days. But, then we had to stop the conversation. We wanted everyone to be involved in this church project, but some of the opportunities left certain people out, especially aging adults.

We started to brainstorm and realized that we could use prayer teams. We needed people — who could be anywhere and with any abilities — to pray.

Through our research at Worship Anew, we know that having a faith community is crucial for aging adults lifesaving even. The impact of a faith community can cause a 46% reduction in mortality rates, and there is a 30% greater risk of dementia for those who are isolated than for connected seniors. In a shocking statistic, isolation in seniors is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day (Surgeon General 2023).

Aging adults are seeking purpose and engagement with their congregations. They want to feel valued, especially because they might not be able to volunteer in the ways that they had in the past.

As you are planning volunteer opportunities for your congregation, we invite you to think creatively about how your JOY (“Just Older Youth”) members and those homebound members can be actively involved with your church. Prayer is a great place to start!