Caring for our elders and for one another…
When Betty places a lunch plate down in front of Dee, she tells her friend which kind of food is located on her plate at the 12:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00 position. Dee lost her sight some years ago, but with her upbeat attitude, she joins her friends weekly at the Sherman Park Gathering Place, an Outreach for Hope-funded ministry held every Tuesday and Wednesday for older adults at Capitol Drive Lutheran Church. If you visit the Gathering Place on these days, you’ll find it abuzz with lively seniors socializing over breakfast, stretching through their YMCA exercise session, engaging in Bible study with Pastor Jay, and catching up with each other during lunch. Attending the program costs the seniors nothing, but the joy and social connection they experience with activities, food and fellowship are deeply nourishing.
“I love it here – the people are so friendly. If I didn’t come, I would just be home alone with nothing to do,” says Dee, resounding the simple message shared by many of the group. Clara, who was a nurse and is now retired after suffering from a stroke, is quiet and deliberative. But when asked what she likes about the Gathering Place, she will gladly tell you how much she enjoys the activities and contact with her weekly friends. Most of all, Clara says she appreciates the Bible study and connection to church.
With your support, Outreach for Hope can nourish body and soul…
Like many Outreach for Hope ministries, the Sherman Park Gathering Place offers participants so much more than nourishment for the body. It creates a loving, Christ-centered home base… a place and a space in which to grow spiritually and be embraced in a nurturing community.