Older people – a priceless mission resource?

5 June 2008 

Older people – a significant percentage of church attenders - must be taken seriously. They are not passive receivers but people with gifts, wisdom and skills to share with others. They are our most precious resource in reaching out to older people outside our churches.

So says the introduction to A Mission-shaped Church for Older People?, jointly published by Church Army and the Leveson Centre for the Study of Ageing, Spirituality and Social Policy. This exhaustive new publication is a valuable how-to manual with practical suggestions for local churches.

It includes detailed outlines for 13 training sessions your church can hold to raise awareness of the needs and value of older people; practical chapters on running Holiday at Home events, holding special services, and taking services in care homes; and further chapters with facts, statistics and important challenges to our understanding of older people in this country.

Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, says in his foreword: '…the writers of this extremely helpful book have set about to help us think of the issues, problems and opportunities posed by an ageing population and to inspire us into action. What shines through this book is the first-hand experience of those who have written it. I am grateful t them for sharing this experience more widely.'

A Mission-shaped Church for Older People? has been written by Michael Collyer, Claire Dalpra, Alison Johnson and James Woodward. The publication costs only £10.00 including postage and packing. Orders enclosing a cheque payable to The Foundation of Lady Katherine Leveson should be sent to the address below. Alternatively copies can be ordered on line using a credit card on the Leveson Centre website: www.levesoncentre.org.uk