Transitions of Life Seminar
Post date: Apr 16, 2014 12:38:08 AM
The following presentation took place in the Lower Hall at FBC on November 1, 2014. Further discussions are to follow...
Aging boomers present challenge for churches!
You've turned 65, you've received the gold watch and you've walked out the door of your workplace for the last time. You are officially retired. You wake up the next morning and say to yourself: What do I do now?
This scenario can be traumatic for many people, especially for men, and increasingly for women, who have had satisfying careers, says Paul Pearce, who works with the Centre for Healthy Aging Transitions in Vancouver.
The centre was established a few years ago to collect resources pertaining to aging and help churches facilitate dialogue to assist the huge wave of baby boomers who are quickly approaching retirement age.
"Canadians approaching retirement are now the fastest-growing demographic in the country," Pearce said. "The aging baby boom generation accounts for almost one-third of the nation's population. This means churches will have to make some changes to serve this demographic effectively...
"For so many years the emphasis has been on ministry to children, youth and families," Pearce said, "the 60-75 age group has largely been ignored, even though it will soon be the fastest-growing generation. CHAT was designed to raise the profile of these people in our churches and to think in a new way about social, spiritual and work life for this group."
This, Pearce said, is a topic churches need to be addressing.
"They need to be helping people define their meaning," he said. "(Retirees) may not work at or have the same vocation they did in the past, but they need to develop a new vocation as an elder, in the sense of being a mature, wise, contributing person."
Pearce will be in Regina on Saturday, November 1, 2014 at First Baptist Church Regina, to conduct a seminar on the subject, Transitions of Life: Healthy Aging, Retirement and the Spiritual Journey. The seminar aims to help facilitate conversations with people in the church on how they're handling aging, and seeing growing older as a specific season of life.
"The reality is that people in their 60s today live one-third longer than their great-grandparents did. And they're arriving healthier better educated, with more resources and a desire to stay engaged. Maturing adults need to discover peace and purpose for this season of life through personal growth and ministry development.
"The legacy of faith, the support of others, and the presence and power of God's spirit has the potential to transform an ordinary retirement into an exceptional journey of discovery."
For more information about this seminar contact Rev. John Nelson!