Care home residents - a crisis of invisibility?

Matthew 9v37-38: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

Your church: what an amazing selection of activities to be involved in!

There may well be toddler groups, children’s church, after-school clubs, teenage activities, youth clubs, community groups… So, whether you’re a baby, a toddler, a teenager or an adult, no matter what age you are, it would seem like everyone’s spiritual needs are catered for. And each Sunday, off you go to church to hear solid Bible teaching and benefit from the companionship of other Christians. Wonderful!

Suddenly invisible

Then one day, through physical or mental frailty you find yourself in a care home. You’ve suddenly disappeared from the church you loved and supported for so many years, and been dropped into a completely alien environment. And even worse, you’ve become invisible to the very people you knew so well. You’ve dropped off their radar and been shunted off into a siding like a pensioned-off engine. Now someone else sits in the chair in church that you always sat in. Someone else has taken over the jobs that you always did.

A resident in one care home told me: “It’s so hard when you have been used to going to church every Sunday and suddenly you can’t go any more.”

We know that God still has a role for you wherever you find yourself. You can, and should be, His faithful witness wherever you are. But it’s difficult if you are the only born again believer in a care home, hidden away from society behind high hedges and walls.

And what if you’re not a Christian? What if you’ve never heard the gospel? You, who once held down a responsible job and had such an active social life that you didn’t have time to think about God at all – you suddenly find that your entire world has shrunk. And now, you have plenty of time to think about what will happen to you next.

Care home residents, Christians and non-Christians alike, are the invisible people of our land – cared for physically, but whose spiritual needs are unmet. And it’s shocking.

The Bible tells us that the fields are ripe and ready for harvest – but many people in care homes are submerged below the waving heads of our youth. We’re so focused on the young that we forget that most residents of care homes only have a few more years to live. And our responsibility is to tell them the good news of Jesus while they are still with us, so that they can have the certainty of eternal life with Him forever.

In 2000, when my husband’s wonderful Christian parents were staying with us, his mother died in her sleep. Twelve hours earlier, she’d been marching happily up the hill in our field to look at the view of the River Severn. Her death was completely unexpected. When I told our daughter that her beloved Gran was dead, she said, “Oh, Mum. When Gran shut her eyes, she was sleeping with Grandpa. When she opened her eyes, she was with Jesus.”

Welcomed by Jesus

Isn’t that what we want for everyone? That when they fall asleep for the last time on earth, they will wake up to be welcomed by Jesus in heaven? We want people to know Jesus as their Saviour now, so they can carry on knowing Him for ever. Jesus talked about hell. It’s real. We don’t want anyone to go there. Care home residents included.

How can we as churches, play our part in the salvation and spiritual growth of care home residents?

A number of years ago, a Christian friend asked my husband and me to join a rota of Christians who go into two local care homes. The three of us run a short service of about 20 – 30 minutes which includes a Bible reading and a 5-minute talk about the reading. We sing hymns and Christian songs and pray.

The Lord’s Prayer is really important in this service, as even the non-Christians in the homes know it. Their generation had regular school assemblies and chanted this most important of prayers every weekday during term time. We also ask if anyone has a prayer request and include those in general prayer. Then we pray for the staff. There are always staff members present and we’re conscious of their needs, too.

At the end of each service, we try to talk briefly to each resident.

Care homes need Jesus and you

Taking the good news of Jesus into care homes is a privilege. These hidden fields of grain, which are about to be harvested, are desperate for Christian workers who are keen to use the gifts that God has given them. My husband uses his music ability. My prayerful Christian friend uses her ability as an encourager and teacher and we take it in turns to speak on the good news of Jesus and the salvation He offers everyone.

Care homes need you – with whatever abilities God has given you.

And they need our youth, too. When my husband and I were teenagers, our youth leader took his motley gang into a nursing home on a regular basis. He gave a short gospel message and us teens read the Bible, prayed and played guitars for the residents there. The residents loved it and so did we – so much so that each of us “adopted” a resident.

My husband’s particular friend was blind, but mentally extremely able. Mine seemed mentally aware, but on some occasions was quite convinced that she’d just stepped off the boat after a very rough crossing to New York! No one can say that visits to homes aren’t interesting!

Please – think about these invisible people who are hidden away in care homes. Think about the unsaved individuals who you might help to come to know Jesus before they face eternity without Him. Hell is real. Jesus talked about it more often than He talked about heaven.

And think about those who DO know Jesus and miss the company of other Christians who could love and support them. Then ask yourselves – can I do this for Jesus? And can I do this now?

Roll up your sleeves

Don’t wait to “feel” called. Forget the word “ministry”. It’s just a job, really. A job for Jesus. So just roll up your sleeves and do it! To be honest, when I was asked to get involved in care home ministry, I didn’t think God had given me some super-spiritual thing to do for which I was supremely equipped – I just thought it was a good idea! Now I know it’s a great idea. And God has answered prayer and given me the ability to do it.

And youth leaders – please think about the benefits of exposing our youth to this ministry. It’s honestly one of the best things to involve them in. It helps them to knit together as a group with a purpose.

If they are already Christians, it helps them learn to witness and to be witnesses. They can give their testimonies to an audience which absolutely loves being visited by young people. Those in the group who are not yet Christians will also be listening to those testimonies – and also to the Christian talk given by the youth leader. Those who are musical can learn to use that ability in an encouraging atmosphere.

And from a worldly point of view, it gives our teenagers confidence and life skills in talking to adults other than their normal contacts and will look great on their CVs when they apply for jobs, apprenticeships and university places. What’s not to like?

“Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

And ask Him to send you!