VIEWPOINTS
Dementia-embracing Churches By Beti-Wyn James, Union of Welsh Independents (UWI)
Beti-Wyn James is a full time Minister in two UWI churches and one PCW church in Carmarthen town and Bancyfelin village, west Wales. She has served in these churches for 20 years, and previously in Tabernacl, UWI Church at Barry, south Wales. Beti-Wyn is currently the President of the UWI.
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or all who believe, the fellowship and community of the Church is central. It is here that we are called to worship and to build a relationship with God and His people. The Bible uses many figures to describe this relationship. Israel is God’s son, his spouse, his vine, his flock, and many images in the New Testament e.g. Christ’s flock and branches of the true vine. Each member is introduced into a special relationship within the church family and as a result are blessed with love, friendship and support. But, sadly, most people with dementia seem to stop going to church. They feel easily feel uncomfortable, because their ability to process information is impaired. It’s just as sad when some people withdraw from visiting or spending time with dementia sufferers. I understand from experience in the ministry how difficult it can be to engage in conversation with dementia sufferers. Connecting with them can be quite a challenge. Does the church have something ‘extra’ to give in terms of communication? Believers are the most powerful means of communication imaginable, because we carry within us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate communicator. Visiting people with dementia and their families provides opportunities for nourishing love and relationship, and although dementia may have caused an inability to communicate, simply being alongside them, knowing that we are carrying the Holy Spirit within us. When we do this, we are connecting at an eternal level.
20 INSiGHT FEBRUARY 2022
The ‘whole’ person There is a great need to encourage church communities to gain confidence to adapt to cater for dementia sufferers and their families. Churches have a specific and unique role to play i.e. encouraging identity of the ‘whole’ person which includes the spiritual and not only the physical. A positive attitude towards the condition needs to be adopted rather than being tentative and raising barriers. In a society where dementia awareness is on the forefront of conversation, churches need to be at the heart of dementia-friendly communities, where the voices of those living with dementia, and those who care for them, are clearly heard. I believe that “Dementia Friendly” is rather a weak description – Dementia-embracing Churches is a better description. Amongst the Church Bodies raising awareness of dementia are the Union of Welsh Independents who passed a proposal unanimously in its General Assembly in 2019 to
‘Encourage churches and associations to stimulate debate on the issue within the Union of Welsh Independent Churches and all other denominations’.
