Ministry to the Elderly Update
By: Tina Freeman
The Lord has grown The Ministry To The Elderly into 4 different unique teams! The teams are independent from the other. Each team is used as different functions of the body of Christ to be a blessing to others and glorify God with their unique gifts and talents.
The first ministry is the children singers, who practice worship music every week with Shari Marsden. They go out to Heartis Assisted Living and Bethesda Gardens Assisted Living once a month, alternating between facilities. They bring the presence of the Lord there with their precious servant hearts, along with their heartfelt worship music. There is a Christ-centered message presented afterwards which encourages the residents in the Lord. The children pass out coloring pages, cards and sometimes flowers to the residents. They, along with their parents and others that join us, have the opportunity to mingle and pray for the residents as well.
The second ministry is the adult musicians who practice worship music with John Mallory almost every week. They go to visit and play for bedridden folks and they go out multiple times a month to places like Heartis Assisted Living, Bethesda Gardens Assisted Living, and the Texas Masonic Retirement Center. Many residents know and sing the old hymns that the musicians play. The residents seem thrilled and always ask the group to play longer and to return again soon. The musicians are even asked to stay and play bingo, and many of them do.
The third ministry is the outings group lead by Sabella Mitchell. They go to Heartis Assisted Living, Arbrook Plaza Skilled Nursing and Rehab, and Emerson South Collins to lead Bible studies. They also go to hand out gifts during the holidays, and even get to do crafts with the residents as well.
The fourth ministry is the blessing requests group where elderly members of the church can submit an online request for something that someone in the group might be available to meet. There have been connections made for weekly visits, rides to appointments, making phone calls, and even being adopted into another family as a “great-grandma” to have a family to celebrate holidays with.
We even get to continue to minister to previous elderly church members like Shirley and Wayne Kenyon who reside at one of the facilities we sing at. The Kenyons pray for us as we pray for them! We look forward to seeing them, the others we have been able to make relationships with, and the new people we get to meet.
It is so encouraging to be in this race around people that love God and others. Together we can encourage others to know the love Jesus has for them and what He has done for them. The Lord is working through the hands and feet of His church. We are His witnesses, no matter where we are, at the facilities (or even living in them like the Kenyons do), in the church building, at someone’s house, driving from a facility to an appointment, etc. It is amazing to see how God has grown His ministry and multiplied it out into 4 special teams. It is all because of His love for His people and His people being willing to serve.
