ALPHA
for Seniors Guide
ALPHA
for Seniors Guide
Published in North America by Alpha North America, 2275 Half Day Road, Suite 185, Deerfield, IL 60015 © 2010 Alpha North America Alpha for Seniors Guide All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. First printed by Alpha North America in 2010 Printed in the United States of America Scripture in this publication is from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. ©iStockphoto.com / lisafx, RichVintage, nano, mammamaart, redmal, Kevinruss, agentry, ManoAfrica, akurtz, arekmalang, monkeybusinessimages, Juanmonino, laflor, YinYang ISBN 978-1-934564-47-9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Printing/Year 14 13 12 11 10
Contents A
“Alpha for Seniors” Introduction
4
What does God say about old age?
7
“Alpha for Seniors” Opportunities
9
“Alpha for Seniors” Group Discussion
17
How can we be effective in ministering to older people?
18
“Alpha for Seniors” Checklist
20
Next Steps
21
Contact Information
24
“Alpha for Seniors” Introduction A
Given the demographic development in the United States, more and more individuals will be entering into the third stage of their lives, what we call “Senior Citizens”. Of the 307 million people living in the U.S., 76 million belong to the so-called “babyboomer” generation, those born between 1946 and 1964. Many of the early “Boomers” are now approaching their mid 60s. Today, 12.8% of Americans, or 39.5 million, are 65 years of age or older. By 2030 nearly 20% of Americans will be 65 or older. Many of our seniors don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and they will soon face an eternity separated from God. What can we do about this? Seniors in America are among the most under evangelized groups in America. Why is this? One reason is because many in the church believe that if you don’t reach an individual 4) Alpha for Seniors Guide
by early adulthood, you won’t ever reach them for Christ. If we are really honest, then we must admit that many of our churches cater to the young and neglect the elderly. This is a trend that is not limited to our churches specifically but our society in general. Our society is “youth oriented” and the elderly have become disenfranchised at a time in their lives when they often need more focus and attention. In a sense, we have “warehoused” our elderly and studies show that more than 70% of nursing home residents receive less than one visitor per week. Many nursing homes and assisted living facilities have little or very sporadic spiritual care. Today’s pastors are often too busy to provide any services to these facilities. The majority of nursing homes and assisted living communities have no in-house spiritual care staff. To make the “spiritual gap” even
larger, many seniors can’t find the necessary transportation to get them to a local church on Sunday. Now that we’ve painted a rather bleak picture of the spiritual wellbeing of our seniors let us explain the opportunities that are available for those Christians who reach out to this group of individuals. Many seniors have never heard that it is possible to have a personal relationship with Christ; this
ALPHA
was never taught to them. Most don’t understand who the Holy Spirit is or that they can receive power, peace and love by being filled with the Holy Spirit. We can safely say that most don’t realize what a blessing they could be to their churches and communities if they would become prayer warriors. Enter the Alpha for Seniors Course! The mission and vision of “Alpha for Seniors” is to give
for Seniors
Alpha for Seniors Guide (5
Alpha for Seniors Guide At Alpha USA, we recognize that the population in our country is ageing. Demographic studies show that the fastest growing age group in our population is the “senior citizen”, age 65+. Within 20 years, the fastest growing age group will be 85 and older. While there are many definitions for “senior”, we are focused on a specific group within these definitions. Our objective is to reach out to those living in nursing homes, assisted living communities and independent living senior communities. These people are woefully neglected when it comes to spiritual nurturing and growth. For those living in nursing homes and assisted living communities, the opportunity for regular spiritual care is often very limited. Sadly, even those who attended church for years may not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, they lack the assurance of salvation. Many have lost all friends and family; their independence and most of their worldly possessions are gone. They live a life of quiet desperation, feeling alone, abandoned and hopeless. Those who believe salvation is “achieved” rather than “received” as a gift, (a very prevalent belief among mainline church goers of these generations), probably think they haven’t done enough to please God so He has abandoned them too. Can you imagine how awful that must feel? Reaching out to this precious population through the Alpha course has proven to be a ministerial “home run.” In a mission field right here in our own backyards, the launching of Alpha for Seniors could prove to be one of the most effective tools in bringing souls into the Kingdom of Heaven . . . Just in time! God is so good! Please join us. The blessings received are immeasurable.
RELIGION / Biblical Studies / Bible Study Guides ISBN 978-1-934564-47-9 ISBN: 978-1934564479 14389
www.alpha.org
9 781934 564479