News

Seven Steps for Vital Older Adult Ministry

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Churches genuinely concerned about the faith development of all God's people will want to be intentional in developing vital ministry by, with and for older adults. The Rev. Richard H. Gentzler Jr., director of the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, shares seven steps to reach older adults. Read story here.    ...

Grants to Support Old Age Poverty Approved by COAM

NASHVILLE, Tenn.– Grants to help local congregations deal with issues surrounding "old age poverty" – one of three focus areas concerning older adults for the current quadrennium – will be offered beginning next year through the Committee on Older Adult Ministries (COAM), which is administratively related to The General Board of Discipleship (GBOD).   The grants will be available to local churches that identify ways to be in ministry to older adults who face...

From GBOD: Older Adult Webinars, 'Five New Ways'

Webinars Provide Spiritual Framework for People Working with Older Adults Clergy, laity, and professionals seeking a spiritual framework for their work with older adults will benefit from Faith and Aging, a new webinar series from The Upper Room set to begin in October.   Scheduled on four successive Tuesdays beginning Oct. 9, the series will be hosted by Jerry Haas, spiritual director for The Upper Room, a division of the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD). Each session will be...

HEARTSONGS Later Life Planning Workshop Is Scheduled for Sept. 15

Register now for a HEARTSONGS Later Life Planning Workshop, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 in Yuba City, California. The workshop is sponsored by Grace UMC and funded by a grant from Beulah Foundation, and will be offered 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at a Yuba City location still to be determined.   Registration is required, but admission is free.   Workshop content will include end of life planning (including "five wishes," advanced directives, POLST form, and "go wish"...

Board of Pensions Sponsors Clergy Retirement Planning Event

The California-Nevada Annual Conference Board of Pensions is sponsoring a retirement planning event at the San Damiano Retreat Center in Danville, May 22-23. Presenters include: Benefits Education Specialists from the General Board of Pensions will speak on topics such as clergy retirement programs, Comprehensive Protection Plan benefits, financial planning, income needs and clergy tax issues;  A representative from the Social Security office; A Long Term Care Insurance...

Final Session in 'Positive Aging' Series Is May 1 in Sacramento

The final session of a four-part series on Positive Aging and Spirituality, "The Positivity Tool Kit for Later Life," will be offered on Tuesday, May 1 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at Japanese United Methodist Church in Sacramento. To be a Christian should mean that we are to be positive, hope-filled persons expecting life abundant. However, some of us struggle with this ideal sometimes, especially as we age. The course attempts to provide practical guidance for bringing the goal and...

Upper Room Offers Online Retirement Workshop

Enroll now for an online retirement workshop, "Retirement Matters: Transitions, Opportunities, Challenges," May 7-18, 2012. This seminar offers those approaching retirement a better understanding of the personal transitions experienced in this phase of life. Led by Jack Hansen and Jerry Haas, participants also will explore the unique opportunities of retirement and talk about the important challenges of aging.    The text for the course will be Shaping a Life of...

Gold Country Seniors Shares 'Positive Aging' Opportunities

Gold Country Seniors Alive is taking a year off (2012). "However, we still want to publicize classes on positive aging," says the Rev. Judith Pruess-Mellow, a principal in the organization. "Believing that later life can be a time of healthy growth and active engagement, we advertise simple and enjoyable strategies for aging well physically, socially, intellectually and spiritually," she adds. The following are her recommendations for Exploring Positive Aging events,...

A Report on 'Moving Forward: Caregiver Support Forum'

By Jackie Finley Older Adult Ministry Council The OAMC's caregiver support forum on September 21 was a success, with attendees coming from as far away as Redding, Modesto, and the Bay Area. Comments and feedback from the participants indicated that the forum's workshops and group discussions provided information and ideas that will be incorporated into many churches throughout the Conference, helping to keep older adults vital and active members of congregations and communities.   At...

Monday Is the Deadline to Register for 'Moving Forward: Caregiver Support Forum'

The Older Adult Ministry Council's Moving Forward: Caregiver Support Forum is on Wednesday, September 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the United Methodist Center in West Sacramento. Please encourage church members and friends to attend this innovative event focusing on older adults, their families, and their lives in our congregations and communities. Light refreshments will be served, but attendees should plan to pack their own lunch and take it along.   The deadline for...

Cal-Nev's Older Adult Council Is Grant Recipient

The Older Adult Council of the California-Nevada Annual Conference was the lone recipient in the Western Jurisdiction, when the General Board of Discipleship awarded grants in August to support caregiving ministries for older adults. The grants totaled $75,000 and went to a variety of ministries that help older adults directly, and assist family members and local churches ministering to seniors. The grants were administered by the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries at the General...

Reminder: Caregiver Support Forum is Coming up

The Older Adult Ministry Council's Moving Forward: Caregiver Support Forum is coming up soon. On Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the United Methodist Center in West Sacramento will be the setting for workshops and discussions addressing needs and concerns of older adults, their care providers, and congregational members who are involved with seniors. The goal for the event is to provide practical information and strategies for keeping older adults active and included in...

Save the Date: Caregiver Support Forum Is Sept. 21

Save the date for The Older Adult Ministry Council's Moving Forward: Caregiver Support Forum on Wednesday, September 21, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at the United Methodist Center in West Sacramento. This timely event will address the needs of seniors, their care providers, and congregational members involved with seniors – and will provide valuable skills and strategies for helping older adults remain active, engaged, and vital participants in their congregations and broader communities.  ...

Caregiver Support Forum Scheduled for September

The Older Adult Ministry Council is presenting Moving Forward: Caregiver Support Forum on Wednesday, September 21, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at the United Methodist Center in West Sacramento. Be sure to save the date for this important and informative event, addressing the unique needs of seniors and their care providers.  Whether you're an older adult, a caregiver, or a congregational member involved with seniors, you will want to attend this interactive and enjoyable forum. In the...

Last Chance! Sign up for 'Silver Tsunami' Seminar in San Francisco

It's your last chance to sign up to attend "The Faith Community's Role in the Silver Tsunami," a Wingspread Forum pre-session of the American Society on Aging, taking place Monday, April 25, 1-5 p.m., at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in San Francisco. The Older Adult Ministry Council of the California-Nevada Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church is a co-sponsor of the upcoming event, which will feature nationally-known speakers and a special reception.   Everyone is...

Gold Country Seniors Alive Information Now Housed on New Webpage

Gold Country Seniors Alive classes and events information now has its own page on the California-Nevada Annual Conference website at cnumc.org – a subpage of Older Adult Ministries. To access, click on the Ministries tab on the Home Page navigation bar, then click on the Older Adult Ministries link. You'll see the link to the Gold Country Seniors Alive webpage in the menu on the right side of the page.   Click on it to get the word about all the latest happenings and to find out...

Older Adult Ministry: Memoir-Writing Classes in New Year

Two series of memoir-writing classes, with 13 classes available to take per series, will be offered in the New Year in Roseville and North Sacramento. It's a great follow-up to the busy Advent and Christmas season, according to sponsors Judith Pruess-Mellow and Jackie Finley of Gold Country Seniors Alive.   The memoir-writing classes are designed for older adults, including those in independent living and assisted living facilities.    Pruess-Mellow and Finley report...

Upper Room Books Author Missy Buchanan to Be on Good Morning America

(GBOD) – NASHVILLE, Tenn. | Upper Room Books author Missy Buchanan will be featured on ABC-TV's Good Morning America  on Monday, Dec. 13, with Lucimarian Roberts, mother of GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts, in a segment about aging and faith. Buchanan, author of multiple books for older adults, developed a deep sensitivity to their needs and feelings after serving as a daily caregiver for her aging parents. Now she is an advocate for older adults.   Mrs. Roberts, 86, read...

Grants Available to Support UM Caregiving Ministries with Older Adults

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (GBOD) | Applications for grants to support caregiving ministries for older adults now are being accepted by the Center on Aging & Older Adult Ministries at the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship. Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., the center's director, says submissions from local United Methodist congregations, districts, Annual Conferences, Central Conferences, and UM-related institutions may be submitted until the deadline on Jan. 15, 2011.   "Living in...

Cal-Nev's Judith Pruess-Mellow to Help Plan 'Silver Tsunami' Forum

The American Society on Aging (ASA) has scheduled an April Wingspread Forum on the topic, "How Faith Communities can Address the Silver Tsunami." The Rev. Dr. Judith Pruess-Mellow of the California-Nevada Annual Conference's Older Adult Ministry Council and Gold Country Seniors Alive has been asked to be on the National Planning Committee for the forum.   "I will be challenged to describe how our Methodist Church regionally and nationally is addressing the Silver Tsunami...