Why Should Kids Have All the Fun? Bringing Joyful Songs to Seniors

Church Champions, Jean and Tim lead a wonderful seniors ministry, inlcuding care home sevices. Here Jean tells us a little more about the kind of music that can bring some variety…and a lot of fun!

Tim and I have been taking services at a local care home for many years.

We have seen the Holy Spirit at work during our time with our dear friends.  The lady in a large wheelchair who comes in with her eyes closed and doesn’t seem to take part in any way suddenly starts moving her lips when we say the Lord’s Prayer together; the new gentleman, who we wonder if he wants to be in the service, who in his way joins in with the hymn that touches him or the lady who sits in her usual chair at the back of the room smiles and laughs out loud when something is said or sung that resounds in her innermost being.

What wonderful reactions to the Holy Spirit’s prompting.

During our service, we sing hymns we know that are loved and familiar to our friends. Their response to these familiar words and tunes is amazing.  However, there are occasions when we come across a wonderful children’s song which fits in perfectly with our theme for the service. A fun song, a catchy tune and sometimes shows children using actions representing the words.

We use our mobile phones and have all our songs linked to YouTube.  We then cast the link onto a smart TV.  We have to be aware that there are adverts at the beginning of these links. We use children’s songs from time to time because they are sung clearly, they are cheerful and have a good rhythm. We play it through the first time and suggest we sing it again.  Our friends are always keen to sing it again.

In introducing the song, we always say “Why should the children have all the good music?’ or “We are all children at heart”.  We are certainly aware that they don’t know these songs, they have never heard them before so tunes, words and even actions are not familiar to them.  We have sought God’s guidance in the choices of the hymns we use and certainly have asked Him about using children’s songs for our older friends. Are we being patronizing in our approach?  Is there a better way to help our friends to know the love of Jesus?  Is this what we would want if we were in their shoes?

The answer is actually in our time with them as we play these songs.  The smile that lights up their faces, the actions that they use in reaction to the tune they hear as they clap when the children clap; the response when we say shall we play this one again and above all the sense of the Holy Spirit touching them and telling them “Yes, you are My child, you are safe in the arms of the Lord Jesus”

So this year at our Harvest service we played the ‘Harvest Samba’.

At another service entitled  ‘Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World”, we watched and played ‘Jesus You’re the light’.

And yes, we played them twice!

Harvest Samba by Chet Valley Churches

Jesus, You’re the Light by Jana Alayra

We have used these Christmas songs to bring the good news of the Birth of Jesus to our friends:

Child in a Manger Born From Songs for Every Christmas by Mark & Helen Johnson – “Out of the Ark Music”

Midnight from Chet valley Churches**

If you haven’t tried using children’s songs during your services at the care home then why not try it?  If you do, why not let us know what reaction you see as the Holy Spirit moves amongst your senior friends?

 

** We use Chet Valley Churches for our hymns and song.  Chet Valley Churches added many hymns and songs onto YouTube to help churches during COVID.