Assemblies of God Senior Adult Ministries conference held in Branson

By CINDY THOMAS, Staff Writer

Are senior citizens in church just putting in their time until God calls them home to heaven? Over 600 members of the 55-plus crowd answered that question with a resounding “No” as they gathered at the Branson Convention Center at the Hilton near Branson Landing, Sept. 8-10, for the Assemblies of God Senior Adult Ministries Conference, where they enjoyed fellowship, music and inspirational messages focused on the theme “To the Next Generation.” All left with a renewed prayer and action plan for helping children, grandchildren and beyond live out the gospel message in increasingly challenging cultural surroundings.

The conference opened Thursday evening, Sept. 8, with a message from Assemblies of God General Treasurer Wilfredo “Choco” de Jesus, himself a grandparent, who led Chicago’s multi-cultural, outreach-focused New Life Covenant Church for many years before joining the AG national leadership. No stranger to difficult ministry conditions, “Pastor Choco” used the example of Caleb in the Old Testament to remind older adults that God is looking for good men and women, regardless of age, to make an impact. He reminded them the Bible is full of examples of older people mentoring younger ones, and urged them not to shirk responsibility, saying, “Don’t let Hollywood raise your grandchildren!”

On Friday, historian Ruthie Oberg of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center in Springfield gave an overview of Pentecostal history and challenged listeners to continue teaching apostolic doctrine, experience and mission. A Friday morning prayer time resulted in several attendees being healed of painful conditions they were experiencing.

Other featured speakers throughout the conference included AG Assistant General Superintendent Rick DuBose, out-going Senior Adult Ministries Director Wes Bartel, and newly-appointed Director Bob Cook. Bartel, who with his wife, Dianne, has served the Assemblies of God in various capacities for many years, isn’t stopping ministry as they will continue to a new assignment in Arizona.

Special musical guests included Dove Award nominee Riley Harrison Clark; Joel and Rose Perales ministering both in Spanish and English; and the Burchfield Brothers, whose stylistic diversity incorporates classical guitar, midi marimba, Irish whistles and recorders. Friday evening’s session also featured a surprise musical appearance by Lillie Knauls, 85, fondly remembered as “the hat lady” from Gaither music videos. Her rendition of “Oh Happy Day” and “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” proved conclusively that age doesn’t have to affect one’s ability to sing.

Conference vendors offered a variety of multi-generational and inter-generational resources to help churches and families connect generations rather than always dividing by age. Visit www. ag.org and click on “resources” to learn more; learn more about Senior Adult Ministries at www.sam. ag.org.