In the Bible there are lots of stories of older people and young children blessing each other. Look up the stories about the older people, and write down the name of the child in each story.
OLDER PERSON CHILD BIBLE VERSE
Simeon and Anna Luke 2:25-38
Lois 2 Timothy 1:5-7
Naomi Ruth 4:14-17
Abraham and Sarah Genesis 21:1-7
Eli 1 Samuel 3
Zechariah and Elizabeth Luke 1:57-66
Mordecai Esther 2
Naaman 2 Kings 5
Can you see a pattern in these stories? The children brought joy to the older people, and the older people enjoyed caring for the little ones! They taught them, guided them, and blessed them. Choose your favorite Bible story from this list and act it out with your family. Perhaps your favorite seniors would like to see and hear this story too!
SHARE JOY!
Make a list of the older people you know well—family members, church members, and neighbors. Work with your family to write a list of 10 ways you could bring joy to an older person. Invite them for a meal, take them on an outing, bake them a cake or loaf of bread, make them an encouraging card, ask them questions about their life, and find ways to help them.
THANK YOU, SPECIAL PEOPLE
Make beautiful thank you cards for the senior people in your church community. Thank them for loving God for so many years. Thank them for the special things they have done for your church. Bless one senior each week with a lovely card.
SENIOR TREAT BAGS
Work with your family, Sabbath School class, or Pathfinder club to pack “treat bags” for the seniors in your church. Make them for the older people who can’t come to church very often. Create a card with your favorite Bible verse on it. Write a short prayer of blessing and thanksgiving. Include cartons of juice, soft treats, loving gifts, and a big paper hug (see below).
PAPER HUG
Use a roll of plain wallpaper or stick several sheets of strong paper together. Lie on the paper and stretch your arms out to each side. Open your hands. Ask a grown-up to draw around your arms and hands, ending when they reach your shoulders and chest. Stand up and draw two lines across the chest area, joining the outlines of the arms together to make a long strip with an arm and hand at each end. Cut out this long shape. This is a paper hug! The person who receives a paper hug can imagine the long arms being wrapped around them. Decorate the paper hug in any way you like and write loving and happy messages on the strip, as well as Bible verses and short prayers. Fold it in half and carefully roll up the hug, starting with the hands so the fingers are safely inside. Tie it with a bow and give it to a lonely senior person to remind them that they are loved.
LET’S VISIT!
Senior people often enjoy short visits filled with joy. They can easily get tired, so don’t stay too long. Bring a simple gift, like a small cake, homemade bread, soft fruit, or flowers. Sing a happy song. Pray. Recite or read a Bible verse. Tell or act out a Bible story. Give them a picture you have drawn. Finish with another song and a prayer. Choose some of the special questions from the list below and listen to their stories.
QUESTIONS TO ASK OLDER PEOPLE:
• How did you come to know Jesus?
• Tell me one of the best things that God has done for you.
• What do you most want to thank God for this week?
• How has God surprised you?
• What has God made that fills you with wonder? Why?
• Who is your favorite Bible character? Why?
• What other questions would you like to ask older people?
Meet the Seniors!
Involve teenagers and older children in a video project. Ask them to make short videos of the senior church members telling stories about their relationship with God and their faith experiences or sharing something about their lives that maybe no one else knows. One young person discovered that an elderly gentleman in her church had won a gold medal in the Olympics! These videos can be shown as special spotlights in a service, perhaps in the month when it is the senior person’s birthday. Or they can be used in a special program to celebrate seniors.
SENIOR TEA PARTY
Hold a tea party for seniors in your home or at church. Help the older children and teenagers make food that the older people will enjoy. Teach the children how to serve the food politely by carrying plates and offering different things to the older people. Perhaps you could also have a concert including talent from the older people as well as the children so they learn more about each other.
ADOPT A GRANDPARENT/GRANDCHILD
Match the children in your family or church to an adopted “grandparent” of the same gender as the child. Encourage them to visit with each other, along with one of the child’s parents, after the church service each week. The child can give a small gift to the older person, such as a handmade card, bookmark, homemade cake, produce, or flowers. The senior person could bring a small treat for the child based on their interests, such as stamps, seeds to grow, storybooks, or a small cake or sweet. The adopted grandparent and child can pray for each other and tell each other what they have learned about God each week.
