Older Adult Ministries

Older Adult ministries are intentional ministries of the Virginia Conference “providing a place of welcome, spiritual nurture, and empowerment in ministry to, for, by, and with older adults.”  By our definition, older adults are those persons age 55 and above.  However, programs of the Older Adult Council will never be restricted by age – minimum or maximum – as there is always something for each of us to learn and ways for us to grow in our individual and corporate spiritual journeys no matter what our age.

 

The purpose of the Older Adult Council is to strengthen older adult ministries in the local churches and districts of the annual conference by:

 

a.       Initiating and supporting ministries, plans, activities, and projects that are of particular interest to older adults.

b.      Advocating on behalf of older adults.

c.       Identifying the needs, concerns, and potential contributions of older adults in the annual conference, districts, and local churches.

d.      Cooperating with the boards and agencies of the annual conference in receiving and making recommendations to provide for the needs of older adults in The United Methodist Church.

e.       Educating and keeping before the annual conference, its districts, and local churches the lifelong process of aging with emphases on the quality of life, intergenerational understandings, and faith development.

f.        Supporting the development of resources that will undergird older adult ministries.

 

For more information about the Older Adults Council, contact the conference Older Adult Ministries office at: P.O. Box 1719, Glen Allen, VA 23060; phone: 1-800-768-6040 or (804) 521-1100 ext. 154 or 153; fax (804) 521-1178; e-mail MarthaStokes@vaumc.org.