Older Adult Council
March 12 Update about March 31 Faithful Aging Conference
After prayerful and careful discernment, the planning team for the Faithful Aging Conference has made the decision to cancel the event scheduled for March 31st at Bonsack United Methodist Church in Roanoke. We recognize that there is a heightened level of concern for seniors regarding COVID-19. While we do not want to promote unnecessary fear, our priority is for the well-being of older adults who would attend the event and for those in the greater community. Most of our speakers, sponsors and exhibitors work with older adults through senior living communities, aging service organizations and health care systems. Several aging services and health care organizations have restricted employee travel and participation in large group activities, and many of our attendees are in an age group that has been identified as being vulnerable to this virus. Cancelling the March 31st event will ease increasing anxiety and provide for the safety of those who would attend as well as all those to whom they would return home to serve after the conference.
The planning team is currently working on contingency plans and asks for your patience as we determine the best path forward. We are exploring the possibility of rescheduling for the late summer or early fall as well as holding the same basic program until the spring of 2021 as the date and location for that event has already been determined.
We will begin processing refunds for attendees. Those who registered online will see a credit back to the account used for payment. Checks will be returned for those who registered by mail. If you have made hotel reservations, we urge you to call and cancel them immediately to avoid any penalty charges.
Thank you for your understanding. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Martha Stokes at mstokes@pinnacleliving.org or 804-474-8718.
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The purpose of the Older Adult Council is to strengthen older adult ministries in the local churches and districts of the annual conference.
The Council offers resources for intentional ministries of the Virginia Conference “providing a place of welcome, spiritual nurture, discipleship 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. We recognize the wave of Baby Boomers are entering older adulthood and have unique needs for discipleship. We encourage intergenerational ministries.
Current program offerings:
- Olde Time Revival (regionally held)
- Sacred Circle Dance
- Spiritual Legacy Boxes
- Older Adults and Their Aging Parents
- Experiencing God for Older Adults
- Grief Ministries
The Council is a sponsor of the regionally held Faithful Aging Conference led by Lynchburg University and Pinnacle Living.
In 2020 the Conference will be held at Bonsack United Methodist Church in Roanoke on Tuesday, March 31. www.lynchburg.edu/.../faithful-aging-conference
For more information about the Older Adults Council, contact the Center for Next Generation Ministries, PO Box 5606, Glen Allen, VA 23058-5606; phone: (804) 521-1139 or contact the chair of Council, Suzanne Spencer at schmidley711@gmail.com.