Covid
5 Keys to Finding Purpose and Meaning in Lockdown
Finding purpose and meaning is, as the Bible presents it: God’s life giving plan for each one of his children. But during this time of isolation and shielding it’s hard to know, at times, what the answer is to the question “What should I do?” – or more importantly “what would God have me…
3 Hidden Treasures of Lockdown
The Israelites, we read, wandered the wilderness for 40 years. With the benefit of scriptural hindsight, we can see the working hand of God on their situation, and the explicit lessons that the Lord wanted the Israelites to learn (Deuteronomy 8:2-3), namely that of humility and dependence on the providence of God. But in…
The hidden ‘coping’: have we forgotten someone?
Stoicism has sometimes been associated with a British ‘stiff upper lip’: enduring without unnecessary emotion. Getting on with it. The word comes from the ancient Stoics, who looked for inner resources to handle all circumstances. Inner bravery is something that many among us prize, and at this time there are older people in our communities…
One in 5 of us will live to 100. Let’s live it well!
Even before the most recent dire warnings about population decline, Ian Knox in his excellent book Finishing Well writes this: ‘There are vast numbers of statistics to show that a veritable army of us are old, which should encourage us to see, as we go on to look at our potential, what we might achieve…
What does Summer look like for Seniors?
‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets’. Zechariah 8: 4- 5 (ESV) Welcome to our ‘Faith…
Mobile Matinee
“How are you doing Moira?” “Awful, this is like a horror story.” “Are there any comparisons to your memories of growing up in World War 2?” “No – in the war we had a strong sense of community. People came together. This is dreadful! Not seeing family or friends, not able to…
Two-thirds of UK churches identify loneliness and isolation as a top issue to tackle post lock-down
The Allchurches Trust undertook research with over 600 churches in June, which reveals that churches in the UK are gearing up to tackle a huge surge of loneliness in their cities and communities in the social aftermath of lock-down. A huge 78% of churches expect loneliness and isolation to be one of the…
Fun Video Call Activity Ideas for Churches and Older People
All the time churches are finding new creative ways to build friendships, combat isolation and form community, even in lockdown. Those working with children and young people are facing similar challenges as those working with older people: how can we make it fun and friendly over the phone, or over Zoom? We are grateful to…
Holidays at Home in Lockdown: ideas for churches for 2020
At this time of year many churches would normally be planning a ‘Holiday at Home’, a week of activities and social fun, a holiday for older people, but without the need to travel. This year is different. Is a ‘holiday at home’ possible in lockdown with physical distancing? As Burwell Baptist put it: ‘During the…
Coronavirus and older people: some encouraging stats
Older people are showing resilience in difficult times. We know this personally, but it is often hidden in what can seem like a tide of bad news. Sometimes the figures are worth looking at more closely for the nuggets of encouragement. The Office for National Statistics released new figures on 3 July using a…