The third and final post in our series from Advance's UK conference in November. Read up on part 1 here and part 2 here. The UK conference will happen again in November 2020; try and keep your weekends free - we would love to take more of us along next year!
TBT organise inter-generational storytelling sessions, made up of songs, props and stories to bring the hope and joy of childhood into the lives of those living with dementia.
Babies and the elderly are often compared unfavourably for the common ‘undignified’ aspects of their age: needing help to be being fed, changed, and bathed. What is often forgotten, or neglected, is the common need and capacity for joy and hope.
Just as people love seeing joy on a baby’s face, we bring the same joy to the life of those experiencing dementia. Shared joy is especially beneficial and meaningful to those who aren't able to experience relationships as they used to.
We frequently forget the sanctity of today, that God has literally given this day to us. We need to usher a sense of urgency into our lives again: “Get up! God has given this day to us!” In no area is this more true than the lives of those living with dementia.
Time is often reliably short in their lives, and although dementia has limited or remove much of their capacity, the Holy Spirit is still absolutely able to bring them to Jesus – and they can still experience and share joy. Gemma had 2 bible passages at heart when she began TBT:
Regardless of capacity, the days of someone living with dementia are both urgent and have the ability to be filled with purpose – the pure purpose of experiencing and sharing God-given joy.
In many ways, western culture today desires things of God’s kingdom (a sense of peace, belonging and purpose) - but without the king Himself; Kingdom without the King. The culture of individualism argues that rather than pursue God and receive these things as a gift, we should pursue self-fulfilment and make them for ourselves.
As Christians in exile, we are not immune to the pull of culture; we can easily seek belonging and purpose from places other than, or in addition to God. There are 4 ways we can proactively fight that temptation – and live for God instead.
Gemma Gillard: Nearing the end of exile - the urgency of old age
Gemma is a writer, storyteller and entrepreneur based in Poole, where she is part of Gateway Church. Gemma founded Truth Be Told (TBT) in 2018, following Advance’s UK conference that year.TBT organise inter-generational storytelling sessions, made up of songs, props and stories to bring the hope and joy of childhood into the lives of those living with dementia.
Babies and the elderly are often compared unfavourably for the common ‘undignified’ aspects of their age: needing help to be being fed, changed, and bathed. What is often forgotten, or neglected, is the common need and capacity for joy and hope.
Just as people love seeing joy on a baby’s face, we bring the same joy to the life of those experiencing dementia. Shared joy is especially beneficial and meaningful to those who aren't able to experience relationships as they used to.
We frequently forget the sanctity of today, that God has literally given this day to us. We need to usher a sense of urgency into our lives again: “Get up! God has given this day to us!” In no area is this more true than the lives of those living with dementia.
Time is often reliably short in their lives, and although dementia has limited or remove much of their capacity, the Holy Spirit is still absolutely able to bring them to Jesus – and they can still experience and share joy. Gemma had 2 bible passages at heart when she began TBT:
- Psalm 139: today is purposeful
- Psalm 95: today is urgent
Regardless of capacity, the days of someone living with dementia are both urgent and have the ability to be filled with purpose – the pure purpose of experiencing and sharing God-given joy.
Takeaways for Cornerstone Church
- Regardless of our age, each day is urgent and purposeful. How can we help each other remember each day is a gift from God, and encourage each other we can make the most of that day because of Jesus?
- Most established churches have ministries for all stages of life - except the elderly. We might not even need a recognised ministry to become better at this at Cornerstone. We can simply remind one another, as we pray for people in our lives, that older relatives and friends equally need the gospel, and maybe more urgently.
- Could any of us at Cornerstone have capacity to organise TBT sessions in Newcastle? Even if it's not something for us right now, we can still look for opportunities to bring joy into elderly people's lives.
Howard Kellett – Dying to self in the culture of self
Howard and Naomi lead God First church in Cheltenham. They regularly support fellow Advance churches through preaching and training. Howard closed Advance’s UK conference for this year with advice on how to avoid living for ourselves in a culture that preaches self-fulfilment as the ultimate goal.In many ways, western culture today desires things of God’s kingdom (a sense of peace, belonging and purpose) - but without the king Himself; Kingdom without the King. The culture of individualism argues that rather than pursue God and receive these things as a gift, we should pursue self-fulfilment and make them for ourselves.
As Christians in exile, we are not immune to the pull of culture; we can easily seek belonging and purpose from places other than, or in addition to God. There are 4 ways we can proactively fight that temptation – and live for God instead.
- Forge meaningful community. In real community you must sacrifice autonomy; you cannot drop commitments when it's convenient, and people come to rely on you. Meaningful community strikes at the heart of living for ourselves.
- To combat self-centred autonomy, embrace deliberate discipleship. Prioritising ourselves over community erodes discipleship; but putting it first erodes selfishness. Embracing open, honest discipleship relationships acknowledges our own insufficiency, need for support and accountability.
- To curb entitlement and self-centred tendencies, take leadership responsibility. Leadership isn’t limited to becoming an elder, deacon or ministry leader; leadership is needed at all levels of church and community. Proactively seeking leadership limits our ability to turn away from community when it feels convenient. It also teaches us the sacrifice others make to provide the community and discipleship we benefit from.
- To overturn comfort and self-sufficiency, pray. Prayer, individually and together, is the main way God reveals the content of our hearts, reveals more of himself to us, and takes us deeper as disciples. Failing to pray limits our capacity to feel our need for God, and appreciate his incredible kindness towards us – and where we would be without it.
Takeaways for Cornerstone Church
- What ways are we good at enabling meaningful discipleship at Cornerstone, and where could we do better together?
- A culture of discipleship isn't something our elders and other leaders can create alone - we all have a responsibility to contend to discipleship by learning to be open, encourage each other in Christ, and develop a sense of urgency in our discipleship and growth.
- We can all have such strong discipleship relationships in Cornerstone, that if or when the time comes to move on, our absence leaves a hole and has an impact on the whole church. The obvious question is whether we are invested enough in our community, but we also need to be careful we make space so that people can find a new place in Cornerstone, and learn to be vulnerable.