Activities
YOUTH-MENTORING PROGRAM
Pair older adults with youth from your congregation.
Once a month, have older adults meet with their teens
to discuss family, career goals, faith, and what God is
doing in their lives. Have senior adults ask the youth
what they can be praying for during the week, or what
God is teaching them currently.
PRESERVING FAITH JOURNEYS
Ask older adults to write down the story of their per-
sonal faith journey on paper. Have them include im-
portant milestones, such as their confirmation, wed-
ding, the Baptism of a child, and any other events that
shaped their faith or relationship with God. Save all of
these faith journeys in a binder in the church library.
Bring them out for confirmation classes to review or as
part of special congregational occasions.
PAINT A PICTURE
Set up tables with paper, paintbrushes, paints, and
water for cleaning brushes. Ask older adults to paint a
shape or object that represents what their faith means
to them. This could be a simple cross, a heart, a flower,
or even a shell representing the baptismal font. Once
every older adult has finished painting, encourage the
group to take turns sharing their paintings and why
they chose to paint what they did.
PRAYER CARDS
Give a blank card to each senior adult, and ask them
to think of a person they know who is going through a
difficult time or who they feel has been placed on their
heart. Have seniors write down a name on the card
and put it somewhere at home where they will see it:
a nightstand, by the bathroom sink, or in their Bible.
Ask each senior to pray intentionally for that person
throughout the week. Pastors can also take prayer
requests to shut-ins so that they can actively pray for
church members that they are unable to see frequently
anymore.
Allison Lewis is a marketing content specialist at
Concordia Publishing House. She is a native St. Louisan,
a proud Mizzou J-School graduate, and a huge fan of
Blues hockey and Cardinals baseball. Outside of work,
Allison enjoys traveling, working out, reading, trying new
recipes, and spending time with family and friends.
About the Author
Older Adults • 4 • cph.org • Copyright © 2019 Concordia Publishing House
