Mattering and the Church

Many of us find positive feelings of belonging and a sense of contribution as we connect with family and friends.   But…  some of us don’t!  Even if we do, it is usually very helpful to have more than one source of encouragement and support.  Here is where the church can be critically important to the health and well-being of many older adults. 

Some of the most important things that happen as we age are the changes over time;  we change, our family changes, our friends change, and our circumstances in life change.   Loss of friends and family, loss of energy and mobility, and a loss of being in touch with our own history can initiate a slow spiral of decline and isolation.   Feelings that we are irrelevant and that we no longer matter can be read by signals given off by people we meet who don’t greet us warmly, who don’t ask us questions, who don’t ask us to help, or who don’t invite us to participate. 

But…  when people at church greet us with enthusiasm, when we are invited to participate in discussions, when people ask us by name to help out, when we find ourselves feeling comfortable and composed in the midst of the congregation, we can find ourselves broadening our visions of what we can do and building friendship-supported resources.

So this blog will attempt to document the experiences of congregation members who have found helpful acts of mattering within their church in a variety of ways.  I will do my best over time to bring out diverse activities and programs that work well.