Events
Retirement, Aging and God…oh my!
Posted on February 2, 2017 | Posted by Mary Stoneback
February’s SUP Gathering, Feb. 23
On Thursday February 23, 12 pm – 1:30 pm, special guests and ALC members, Elisa Thompson, Jim DeLoughry and Deacon, Mary Stoneback will give a presentation on the issues surrounding retirement, the aging process and how God is at work in this very unique and meaningful time in life. All are welcome. A main dish will be provided. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. For planning purposes, please RSVP to Mary Stoneback at m.stoneback@ascensioncos.org
In-Sight: Gleanings from the Johnson Institute Program of Spiritual Growth
More about the Team…
Four months ago, three Ascension members, Mary, Elisa and Jim began a 16 month journey made possible by the Endowment Fund, that was inspired by the visit to Ascension by Dr. Richard Johnson in October of last year. The Johnson institute provides a variety of programs in spiritual development for maturing individuals whether they are baby boomers, pre-retired, or retired. This Certificate Program focuses on spiritual growth and development as people move through different stages of life. He challenges his listeners to be counter-cultural: to look on aging as a time God made for us.
One of the quotes from Johnson that caught Elisa’s attention was, “Age is not a thief in the night, but the master teacher of life.” Jim liked the statement that, “our chronological age is the most inaccurate, crude measurement of our accomplishments.” Mary found Johnson’s call to make adult ministry, “significant, spiritual, educational, challenging and active” thought provoking and agrees with Johnson’s discussion on the future of the church being both youth and most certainly boomers and elders. In the next 50 years, birth to age 14 will increase by 14% and in the same time, those 50 and older will increase by 127%. If we take these statistics to heart, it is not hard to see how nurturing the faith journeys of older adults nurtures a community’s faith.
As a team sponsored by lay ministry, our mission is to learn as much as possible from this course, and share it with the Ascension community. Our prayer as we go through this certificate program, with your help, is to encourage all to live into their age faithfully and passionately. We hope our gleanings from the program along with your feedback, may provide inspiration that stretches and strengthens your faith in Christ, cultivates your God-given gifts, and deepens your sense of call to serve God and walk with others on their faith journey. Please don’t hesitate to contact any of us if you have questions or would like more information.
Faithfully,
Elisa Thompson, elisat92@gmail.com
Jim Deloughry, jdeloughry@comcast.net
Deacon Mary Stoneback m.stoneback@ascensioncos.org
