17 Nov Showing Honor to the Elderly
The Bible speaks clearly about the honor and wisdom that comes with old age. Yet in our society, many of those in the older generations spend their final years in elder care facilities with few connections to the outside world.
Volunteers and leaders with our Senior Honor program are committed to caring for and supporting residents within these homes. From Sunday afternoon services to social events and staff support, Senior Honor is an opportunity to value, respect, and serve those who have gone before us.
Below is an interview with Danny Stemann at Grace Downtown’s Senior Honor facility: The Arboretum at the Woodlands at Furman.
What’s your role in the Senior Honor program?
I am a greeter/retriever for the Sunday services we have here. I welcome people, but I also go from room to room and encourage people to come and participate.
What was your initial motivation for volunteering?
My wife and I were looking at different areas to plug in and serve at Grace. I think that we both didn’t respond to the children’s ministries as we did with Senior Honor. This felt like the right spot for us, and we knew that there was obviously a need here. It’s been great coming and serving in this way.
What has been most surprising or unexpected about your experience?
I guess the most unexpected thing is that we enjoy coming. It is service, obviously, but we enjoy coming, and, when we aren’t here for a while, we miss coming. I think that’s been a little bit of a surprise. You form relationships with these people. Sometimes they remember you, sometimes they don’t, but you look forward to seeing their faces all the same. We’ve discovered it’s not only a blessing to them, but it’s also a blessing to us.
What do you enjoy the most and what would you say you enjoy the least?
I love hearing everyone singing; these songs mean so much to the residents. For those who have grown up in church, these are the hymns they’ve sung at church, and the songs they’ve grown up singing. They’re actually songs that we sing with contemporary worship music at Grace. So, it’s cool to see how much it means to them, and it’s great reconnecting with those hymns.
The thing I like the least is that it’s in the middle of the day on a Sunday. The service isn’t in the morning or right at the end of the day, it’s in the middle. Timing can be challenging sometimes, but given that we only do it once or twice a month, it’s not that big of an issue.
What has God been teaching you through your time here at the Woodlands?
There’s a lot of different things that come to mind, but one thing that I’ve realized is how important it is to continue in your relationship with God into your old age. Your spouse, your brothers or sisters, and people you care about will leave this world; it would be lonely if you don’t have a relationship with the Lord at this stage in your life.
I’ve also learned that you can still be an influence and a witness at this stage in your life. It’s really powerful when you see the residents here worshipping when they could be doing anything else. It would be easier for them to stay in their room watching TV, but they choose to come here, and that’s something that unites them together as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Do you have an impactful experience that has stood out to you?
One resident, in particular, continually tells us how grateful she is for this service. It’s really impactful to see how much she and the other residents keep on reiterating how important Senior Honor is to them.
What would you say to someone considering getting involved with Senior Honor?
Give it a try! It may not be what you expect, or it may be exactly what you expect. But I think that God is definitely doing a work here- it’s exciting to be a part of that.
