Comments on: How To Connect Older Adults and Children in Your Church

By: Dave Collins

Dave Collins — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:04:33 +0000

Hi Everyone,

I just discovered this site today… love it! Out midweek program uses older adults for our snacks every week. They play a vital role and feel connected to our ministry. In addition we “free up” other people who are gifted in other areas.

By: Biblical Support for Intergenerational Ministry

Biblical Support for Intergenerational Ministry — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:21:01 +0000

[...] intergenerational congregation. Issues, 41(2), 24-32.You may also enjoy our practical article on connecting older adults and children in your church. You can also browse our resources about family worship.Similar Posts You May [...]

By: Maggie Short

Maggie Short — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:28:40 +0000

Intergenerational churches are the best! At our church we just began a new program called “GK/GP Partners” (GK=GrankKids; GP=GrandParents). The participating kids and senior adults are paired for a 6-month experience of praying for each other and nurturing a relationship with each other. When the GK and the GP meet for the first time, I am with them to introduce them and to encourage their new friendship. Each person fills out a “Getting to Know You” form for their new friend to keep as a way to begin. Parents of the GK are included in the interactions. Primarily, the friendships are designed to create a special relationship between young and old that is based upon God’s love. Prayer requests are shared and Sunday morning fellowship is encouraged. My favorite moment as the coordinator of this program was when I overheard one of the girls (age 6) say to her new “Grandparent”, “I will pray about this for you.” What sweet words coming from the heart of a little one!

By: Intergenerational Ministry in the Church

Intergenerational Ministry in the Church — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:11:51 +0000

[...] an intergenerational congregation. Issues, 41(2), 24-32.You may also enjoy our practical article on connecting older adults and children in your church. You can also read an article about inter-generational ministry on Wikipedia.Similar Posts You May [...]

By: Felicia McEwan Anamoah

Felicia McEwan Anamoah — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:01:24 +0000

this website is indeed an eye-opener to some of us in Africa. the practical lesson outlines makes it easy take a class through the basic biblical experiences. i really like the bit on bridging the generational gaps. it can go a long way to facilitate the course of christianity.

By: The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol (August 2009) « Dad In The Middle

The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol (August 2009) « Dad In The Middle — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:09:25 +0000

[...] How To Connect Older Adults and Children in Your Church [...]

By: Dorothy

Dorothy — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:04:36 +0000

Wonderful ideas. I would also suggest that we remember to be prayer partners for one another. The seniors can “adopt” a Sunday School class, confirmation class, high school class and at the end of a semester or year have a luncheon together. The older adult may not want to teach Sunday school however invite them to come and read the Bible story. There are so many wonderful ways to engage all of the groups. Mentoring and “adopting” a grandparent are both good places to start.

By: Alexa Lysander

Alexa Lysander — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:04:10 +0000

Excellent suggestions! We also used our VBS program last year to encourage the kids and the older adults to interact: our program director designed the snack time so that the adults would sit among the kids and listen to them chat. The director also gave the snack time assistants a box full of little “treasure chest” toys she knew the kids would like–temporary glow-in-the-dark tattoos (Christian-themed, of course), toy cars, stickers. The adults loved ministering to the kids and found that there conversations were not only entertaining, but it was the beginning of a dialogue between some of the kids and some of the adults.

I won’t say that it revolutionized relations between the generations, but I do see more interaction than I did before VBS.

Thank you for bringing up an issue that does need to be addressed, but in a gentle, unfolding manner.

God bless you!

By: Tony Kummer

Tony Kummer — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:50:54 +0000

Thanks for these practical ideas. It’s a challenge. One thing that works at my church is scheduling older adults as helpers in children’s church. They mostly mind the doors, but they love to serve the kids even in small ways.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:26:41 +0000

Fantastic post. I LOVED your ideas. Thank you so much for sharing them! This is something that I’ve been wanting to work on, but I was at a loss for how to get started. Thank you for all of your practical ideas. They WILL be put to use! Thanks!