I
knew UPC had a Sunday morning ministry to the residents of the LifeCare Center
and The Bridge, located a mile from the church on Rouse Road. I knew that Tom and
Sharon Stone, who lead the ministry, need volunteers to help get residents to the
worship service, sit with them, and assist as needed. But I had never seen the
ministry first-hand until June 18, when I volunteered to give the message to both
groups of residents.
This experience convinced me that UPC’s ministry to these elderly residents is one of the best things going at our church. Tom, Sharon, John & Annette Amdahl, Frank & Wendy Morrell, John O'Shaughnessy, Kevin Chase, Jane Collins, David & Lynn San Filippo, and Forrest Flaniken, among others, go down there week in and week out to give the love of Christ to a precious group of people, some of whom are lonely and forgotten. Residents’ faces light up as they sing hymns to God, recite the Apostles Creed and Lord’s Prayer, and hear the Word of God.
James 1:27 says that caring for widows (and widowers) in their distress is part of “true religion.” I hope that many of you reading this will volunteer to assist Tom and Sharon with UPC’s ministry to the LifeCare Center and The Bridge. It would help immensely if you would give one Sunday morning a month to this ministry. Perhaps your LIFE Group would volunteer together. The main need is for volunteers to go around and get residents to the service. Most of them are in wheelchairs and need a push. The time commitment is just 9:00 to 10:20 a.m., which permits you to still be on time for our church service. You will get a glimpse of God’s love as you share it with these special people.