Seniors
at the Golden Years Center for the Elderly sing during a service of
dedication for the center. The program is a ministry of Stewart Memorial
United Methodist Church in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines. A UMNS
photo courtesy of the Golden Years Center for the Elderly. Photo number
03-278, Accompanies UMNS #413, 8/20/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
The
Golden Years Center for the Elderly, a ministry of Stewart Memorial
United Methodist Church in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines, operates
out of this home, known as the “Deaconess House.” A UMNS photo courtesy
of the Golden Years Center for the Elderly. Photo number 03-279,
Accompanies UMNS #413, 8/20/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
Esperanza Bermejo Bailen, 85, says loneliness is one of the major causes of suffering for the elderly.
Recently widowed, Bailen knows first-hand the "joys and pains of growing old."
She
and other members of a United Methodist church in the northern
Philippines, with help from the denomination, have joined together to
address this problem. The Golden Years Center for the Elderly is a
ministry of Stewart Memorial United Methodist Church in Lingayen,
Pangasinan, Philippines.
The center was dedicated in April with
help from a $2,500 grant provided by the United Methodist Committee on
Older Adult Ministries.
In 2002, grants were awarded to 22
programs that benefit senior citizens. The funds came from the
Comprehensive Plan for Older Adult Ministries approved by the 2000
General Conference.
"I would like to point out that the first
report from a recipient of these grants came from a Central Conference,"
said Richard H. Gentzler Jr., director of the Center on Aging and Older
Adult Ministries at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
Committee
members heard about the progress of the Golden Years Center for the
Elderly during their Aug. 15-17 meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Committee
members reviewed 72 grant applications for 2003-2004. Gentzler said the
recipients would be announced in October.
A package from the
center was sent to the committee to express appreciation for the grant
money. Photographs of the dedication of Golden Years Center were shared
as members heard Arturo Razon, a representative from the Central
Conferences, talk about the dedication ceremony.
"Many political
leaders were present for the dedication, and the church declared that
day Elderly Sunday," he said. Members of the center sang during the
dedication and the project director, Ruby Celia L. Carolino, was the
preacher for the occasion.
Bailen is a retired deaconess and serves as president of the center.
The
primary purpose of the center is "to provide a venue where the elderly
can share the joys and pains of growing old with God, their peers and
others," she said
One of the center's objectives is to encourage
the elderly to continue growing in their faith and participation in the
life of the church. The center also hopes to assist the elderly in
personal and social adjustments that come with aging; to foster good
health and nutrition; to promote the special needs of the elderly; and
to partner with other agencies in providing services for the welfare of
the elderly in the community.
"Today we live in a disposable
society where anything that appears to be old is discarded," Bailen
says. "The fastest growing segment of our population is the senior
citizens group. We express concern that the voices of those who are
older might become silenced in society, due to ageism." # # # *Gilbert is news writer for United Methodist News Service.
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