In January, I will mark five years serving the congregation of Williamsburg Presbyterian Church. I have grown in so many ways and I have been richly blessed by you. I am so inspired by your faith journeys, life experiences, dark nights of the soul that become light, and the incredible wisdom gained from living in this world.
A Ministry Forms
With our largest demographic being 65 and older, I have become acquainted with both the joys and challenges of this time of life. Over the last two years, the Holy Spirit has been moving amongst the Board of Deacons, Thriving Congregations, and a small group of people with a desire to change the aging paradigm and how we minister to people during the last third of their earthly lives. We realized we all want to grow a ministry that supports people to flourish spiritually, physically, and mentally through the more mature years of life.
Roadmap to Aging Program Launches
On Nov 10, we launched a new ministry with speaker gerontologist Dr. Christy Jensen and a personal testimony about aging by member Sharon Jones. The inaugural event served as an overview concerning our expectations about aging, the realities of aging, and the very real and adventurous possibilities to flourish during this time in our lives. At the end of this event, we asked, and you delivered meaningful feedback for the direction of this ministry. With the Holy Spirit as our guide, we look forward to opportunities to partner with people 65 and beyond to find purpose, gain knowledge, grow their faith, and provide support for the physical and mental challenges they face.
Culturally, the last third of life has often been ignored. Let’s change the paradigm and face the challenges head-on to discover adventurous joy and life abundant.
--Pastor Pam
Where do we go from here?
As we grow this ministry, the survey identified the following focus areas. We look forward to developing programs and curating resources to support the most pressing concerns within our community.
Living Arrangements
- Exploring Where to Live – continuing care communities or staying at home
- The Art of Downsizing
Flourishing
- Faith and Aging
- Reimaging Aging and Ageism
Health and Wellness
- Normal Aging and Dementia
- Nutrition and Exercise
- Palliative Care, Hospice, Medical Directives, DNRs – What are they/when do we need them.
Other
- Facing the Unexpected – When the best-laid plan gets disrupted
- Including our children and relatives in designing our roadmap to aging
- How to plan for aging without family nearby
