Family Friendly

At RE:NEW we call ourselves a family friendly church, and that is what we hope to be – but our definition of ‘family’ is a very broad one! Although we make provision on a Sunday morning for those with children (we have a crèche, a group for primary aged children, and a group for teenagers) we also welcome a number of people who are now enjoying retirement. This includes one of the members of our music team who bounces up and down to some of the livelier songs we sing more than those of us who are half his age! “To be seventy years young is sometimes more cheerful and hopeful than to be forty years old!” (Anon)

Indeed, the ministry of RE:NEW, at the school and with Queen’s Court, proudly reaches across the age spectrum. I like to describe life in four stages: the first phase (ages 0-19) is filled with energy, the second (20-39) is characterised by idealism, the third (40-59) are years defined by maturity, and the fourth (60+) is marked by the wisdom of those who have reached it. Our society often seems to value one stage above another (the majority of TV presenters, for example, fall in the second age bracket), but any community suffers if it misses the contribution of one or another of these groups. Where no children are present there is a lack of joy and energy, but equally, when we ignore the older people in our society, we are all the poorer for it. As Proverbs 16:31 tells us “Grey hair is a crown of splendour”!

Each year I hold a special service at Queen’s Court to celebrate the role that older people play in our society, and this year’s event is being held at 3pm on Sunday 5^th June. Based on the census theme it’s called ‘Count Me In’ and encourages us to recognise that the accumulation of years is no reason for the contribution of older people to be rejected or overlooked. There will be an offering for the work of MHA (the charity who run the home) and after the service there will be refreshments and an opportunity to find out more about volunteering at Queen’s Court. As someone who spends a number of hours at the care home week by week I know that it not only the resident who benefits from the occasional visit! I do hope many of you will come along and show those at Queens Court that they are still loved and appreciated by the local community.