Hello, this is Ronnie Hull. Welcome to the August edition of Senior Connect, the monthly podcast of Seniors Ministry at First Press Columbia. Today, I'm proud to have Pastor Brian F. Bolt and Janet B. Altman in the studio for a conversation about senior adults who have influenced our lives. Before I talk with Brian and Janet, I have two announcements. The Seniors Ministry Committee is working with the Congregational Care Committee of the Diaconate to provide designated seniors parking and assistance at all three Sunday worship services for those with mobility or health concerns. We are issuing senior parking decals for vehicles that will be using the designated spaces. please contact Janet for more information or to request a decal. Secondly, the Diaconate began a home-delivered meals ministry in July, which will continue in August. If you or someone you know would benefit from a home-delivered meal prepared by Chef Rich, please let Janet know and she will pass that info on to the deacons. And now for my conversation with Janet and Brian. Welcome, y'all. Good to be here. Thank you, Ronnie. Thanks for having us. You bet. Great to have you. So in this edition, we've got a couple of questions just to share our experiences and thoughts on seniors in our own lives, family members, or members here at the church. And so I've got kind of a funny question to begin with, and then two more questions that have to do with how seniors play such a vital role in the spiritual health of a church, of a congregation. and in the spiritual health of the individual. So first of all, what was a fun or funny thing one of your parents or grandparents did when you were a kid? Brian, would you like to share yours? Sure. My Grandpa Bolt was a fabulous guy and a strong Baptist preacher, and he would launch into prayer spontaneously with absolutely zero notice. Family reunions in Calicoon, New York, my huge family would all be gathered in my grandparents house, which was not huge. My dad was one of seven siblings and each of them had tons of kids, so the house is just jam-packed with lots of laughing and shouting kids, cousins who are excited to see each other. And without any warning at all, grandpa would start, dear Jesus, And when you heard that, you knew you better stand still and stop whatever it was you were doing. So it's like somebody hit the pause button. Everybody sort of suspended in midair or mid-sentence for the duration of that long prayer. And when Grandpa prayed, I mean, he prayed. There was no perfunctory, God is great, God is good. He was prepared to preach a little mini sermon there. And so I always have a chuckle when I think back on Grandpa's prayers that could happen when you least expect it. And it had this power to sort of suspend time. But I am so very thankful for those prayers. My life has been chock filled with the Lord's gracious answers to Grandpa Bolt's prayers. Wonderful. Thank you, Brian. It's almost like playing red light, green light. Exactly. Janet, do you want to go next? Sure. My father, as I have told you before, his name was Daniel Boone. And you would think that someone with a name like Daniel Boone, therefore I am Janet B. Altman, You think he would have a real good sense of direction. Many times people would stop by the house to ask daddy, Daniel Boone, a question. How do you get somewhere? This is before GPS. They pull in the driveway. Daddy goes out and they chit chat and they say, well, Dan, we're headed up to Rockingham. What'd you say is the best route to get to Rockingham from here? And daddy would say, well, sorry, can't get there from here. Gotta go somewhere else and start. And first time I heard it, it was kind of funny. It wasn't funny after a while, but they just slapped their leg and laughed. Oh, Dan, you're just so funny. And the other thing daddy said a lot was he would say, now kids, don't you go taking any wooden nickels. I didn't really know what that meant for a long time, but it was a phrase that we used around our house. And I talk about my father because he was a little older than the average father. He didn't get married till he was 40. He was about 44 when I was born. So, you know, he was of a different generation to begin with, more towards the generation of some of my friends' grandparents. So that was Dan Boone. I love the old expressions. One of my grandfather's had a very dry sense of humor and he was at Yellowstone National Park. This was probably back in the sixties and he was feeding a bear. And another terrorist came up and she was obviously from another country. I think she might've been from France, but English was her second language. And she said to my grandfather, you know, it's against the law to feed the bears. And my grandfather, he just turned to her and said, it's okay because I'm an outlaw. And she didn't know what to say to that. So she just walked away. Good answer. Great stories. Well, second question I have for y'all is when you were growing up, who was a senior who positively impacted your walk with God? And then how did they do that? And Janet, would you like to start? Sure. When I became a Christian at the age of eight, that was in 1968, I remember there were five ladies who were in this church that evening. Well, a lot more than five, but five in particular. Their first names were Margaret, Clara, Letha, Daphene, and Shirley. And when I told my mother, Mama, I need to be saved." Those are my exact words to her as an eight-year-old child after a Sunday evening service. She went in, called the pastor who was shaking hands at the door at the back, and she brought him to the altar, and we knelt, and we went through the plan of salvation, and I accepted Christ. And those five ladies were sitting on the front pew as I went through that after that evening service. And from that point on, Until each of them passed on into glory, they prayed for me and they sent me cards, birthday cards, notes at college, money at college so I could go out for pizza. Every time I came home from college, they were there to say, we're praying for you, Janet. We're praying for you. We love you. We were so proud of you. We remember when you accepted Christ as your savior and God's going to use you in mighty ways. So they were just such a continual, the five of them, influence in my life for godliness. And the last of the five died July this month. So they are now gone on to glory, but what an impact they had on me from the age of eight through as recently as a year ago. So I praise the Lord for those five ladies, my five ladies. What a wonderful testimony to encourage a young person. And Brian, would you like to share yours? Yeah, I'd love to. Janet's story really resonates with me. I have countless ladies and men, older people in churches I've been a part of who have invested so much in me through prayer, through advice, or through, you know, just being there for me and my family. And it's meant the world. But one that really stands out is Pastor George Ganey. He was the pastor of the Mullins Presbyterian Church, and he meant quite a lot to me and Michelle when we were looking for a church after we were married. And I know the question is about seniors impacting us as we grew up, but when my wife and I first got married, we were basically kids who thought they were grown, but who needed to grow up quite a bit. We needed to mature, and Pastor Ganey was just hugely impactful to us at that time. He was first of all, just a faithful preacher and man of God. And secondly, he was just extremely gracious and patient with us. We were raised in believing homes, but not in the reform tradition. So we had tons of questions and it took us a while to sort of come around to embracing reform tenants. And he treated us with respect and with love and with just enormous patience. He treated us as if we were his children or grandchildren. And he really spoke the truth and love to us. So just a great example of gently Christ-like, faithful pastoral ministry, meeting people where they are, not where you want them to be necessarily, but where they are, and loving them and discipling them along the way from that point. And forever we'll be grateful for Pastor Gainey's ministry. That's wonderful. Thank you, Brian. For me, my grandfather was probably one of the strongest influences in my life, positive spiritual influences in my life. Growing up, I knew my grandfather's faith seemed to be unshakable, and that didn't really mean much to me at the time until I was older and I realized how hard life is. And I think about my grandfather, who was drafted into World War II and then fought in the infantry. His father died of cancer shortly right when he got back from the service, and then went off to the Korean War again. And this time as a chaplain, so he wasn't in the infantry anymore, which is a little nicer, I'm sure. And then lost one of his sons to cancer when he was a young father. or his son was a young father. And his other son was an army chaplain as well, was preaching his father's eulogy, his funeral service. And he said he had a conversation, as our grandfather knew, he was nearing the end of his life. And his conclusion, looking back on his whole life, was that God is good and God is faithful. And that rings in my mind almost every week. that after seeing all these things that most people would maybe even lose their faith after being into war or losing a loved one to cancer or disease, that he knew the Lord so well. That was his conclusion, was despite the challenges of life, God is good and God is faithful. And then one final question, a little closer to home here at First Pres, is how have you all seen our seniors here ministering, even in this time of lockdown when they might not be able to get out, how have you seen them ministering maybe to yourself or to other people in the church? I've heard quite a few stories of friends helping friends, senior adults helping other senior adults. And one in particular, there are two friends in our church, and one of them does not have internet in her home, does not have a cell phone, does not have a computer. She has a landline, and that is sufficient, she has said. And her friend, a peer of hers, does have some of those things. And so at this point in time, the friend who has internet, they both love Dr. Thomas's devotionals every day, and it's been part of their devotional time individually. And so the one who has internet has been calling her friend on her friend's landline, and then putting the phone next to the laptop so that her friend can hear the devotionals over the phone that Dr. Thomas is providing each day, Monday through Friday. And she said when they have fun Friday, when it's all, you know, outside in the churchyard and such, she said, I just describe it all to her. I tell her what they're wearing and how the weather is. But I tell her exactly who, if somebody walks back in the background behind the camera, I say, well, somebody just walked by the church. She said, I just tell her all about it. And she said, we just laugh and enjoy it together. And I think that's just wonderful that someone would take the time for their friend to share that with them through just the means that is available. The other thing I know that quite a few people are getting produce out of their gardens these days. And there are people who are going around to our senior adults and they are dropping off tomatoes and all kinds of things that brings such a smile to the face to get some tomatoes from someone's garden. So, you know, to stand from a distance, the doorbell is rung. You know, they come with their masks, they hand it, they go, they leave it on the porch. And so it's done very carefully. But I think produce in the summertime is a good thing. Enjoyed by our seniors a great deal. And just the fellowship and being thought of is wonderful. And then friends helping friends access the content is a beautiful thing. And Brian, how have you seen ministry of our seniors even in this time of lockdown? Yeah, it's been a real encouragement. During the last few months, we've been making tons of phone calls, not just the pastors, but I know the interns have as well and deacons and elders too. And we've been especially mindful of those who live alone to check on them and see what we can do for them. And I think at first we were very concerned for folks who live by themselves, not only for their physical well-being, but also, you know, emotional. Just the impact of loneliness can be devastating. But we have been, I have been personally so encouraged to hear this common story over and over again. And that is people tell me, you know, I have friends nearby. If I don't have family, I have good neighbors, or they'll list off half a dozen people from the church who check on them regularly and bring them things or give them rides. And so they have this small network of people who are, constantly checking on them and caring for them, and that's a great encouragement. It's just the church being the church, you know, brothers and sisters in Christ, bearing one another's burdens, just truly a beautiful thing. And the seniors at First Prez are not sort of overly dependent on the ministry staff here, and that's a good thing. We're here, of course, to equip the laity to serve and do the work of ministry, and what an encouragement and blessing to see them doing that, caring for each other so beautifully. So it's a huge encouragement. A specific example I have the privilege to be a part of is called Barnabas Ministry, and it's a group of seniors who were gifted by the Lord in the lost art of letter writing. So they get together, and we've had to do this via email the last few months for obvious reasons. But we pray for folks in the church who have a prayer need, and then they write handwritten notes of encouragement to those people. And this group is made up of seven or eight people who want to use their gifts to encourage and build up the body of Christ, as Ephesians 4 tells us to do. So when these folks meet together, we're an encouragement to one another through mutual fellowship and prayer. Hearing each other's prayers is so meaningful. And then we're continually hearing from the recipients of those notes who say, you know, thank you so much for taking the time to write that. It just means a lot. And one other quick example, if I could, and I could go on and listen to this. That's good. Such a beautiful thing. Often when I call and pray with people over the phone or in person, as I was doing before the COVID lockdown, I would pray for them and then Quite often, they would turn around and pray for me. You know, they had listened very well to what I had said and picked up on ways that I need prayer and would just pray for me spontaneously. And what a blessing that is. And I've also gotten into habit when I come across an older couple who's been married 50 or 60 years and is still obviously very happy in their marriage. enjoying a godly marriage, so I'll ask him, what's your secret of longevity and happiness in marriage? And one gentleman told me two words, you know, yes, dear. But then he was very quick to say, seriously. That's correct, Janice said that's right. Janice nodding, yeah. Yes, dear. Yeah, some men learn faster than others. But without exception, they all say, you know, keeping the Lord central, you know, prayer together and having the privilege of serving each other. And that's such a beautiful thing to see people considering serving their wives or husbands as they become infirmed as not a burden at all, but as a privilege to serve them as Christ would. That's an incredible encouragement to me and having seniors tell me that, you know, the best years are still yet to come. It's one of the many reasons I love what I do. Yeah. We get ministered to so often. Yes. Yeah, I would say the exact same thing. When I'm done praying for them and they say, can I pray for you? Or they just launch straight into a prayer, hopefully it won't embarrass them. But especially being prayed for by somebody like Sidney Whelan, who seems like a veteran prayer warrior, that almost gives you chills or brings you to tears to have somebody like that pray for you. That's such a wonderful blessing. And also, too, hearing how the Lord has been faithful to them over so many years. I think a number of times they're afraid that they're boring me with story after story, but it's like reading scripture almost, seeing how God is faithful to His people. So it's a wonderful thing to be able to hear that. Well, Janet, did you share the Candyman story? I did not, Ronnie. Do you want to, or would you rather not? I will do that if you'd like. Well, I don't know about y'all, those who are listening to us today, but in my church growing up, there was a man that we called the candy man, and he brought a pocket full of candy to church every Sunday. And it was to be expected that once you walked out to the parking lot out of the church building, he'd be there and he'd say, it could be a piece of peppermint or butterscotch or one of those kind that's caramel with a cream in the middle of it. Oh my goodness, yes, those are my favorites. And in my church growing up, his name was Bob. Bob was the candy man. And as a child, it was just nice. It was, I mean, sure it was candy, but it was just nice to be thought of that way, to be offered like a piece of candy, Janet, you know, and yes, sir, thank you so much. And, uh, it was just a real treat. And I realized as we, as Steve went into ministry years later, that we always had a candy man in our church. Every church Steve pastored, there was someone who did that. So our children, my children who are now, 36, 34 and 36, they had a candy man growing up. So I'm just wondering how many folks out there, maybe there's a candy man at First Press. Maybe I've missed this because I don't have children and I'm not young myself anymore. But I just wonder if there is a candy man that I'm missing. So if someone knows who the candy man is at First Press, who always has a pocket full of candy to give to the children, I'd like to know who that is so I could go acknowledge them and shake their hand. because I think it's a great tradition to shake their hand. Shake their sticky hand. Shake their sticky hand. That's right. Good day. Good for your sticky. At Midway, there was a candy lady, and on her tombstone in the back of the church, it says, Candy Lady, along with her name. Is this someone that you knew? I mean, I didn't know her that well. My uncle was actually preaching. When he would preach, we would go out there and hear him. And I was probably maybe five or six years old. But she wouldn't give you candy unless you answered one of the questions from the sermon. Oh, see, Bob didn't ask that of me as a child. There were no questions from the sermon. I would leave empty-handed sometimes. And I think there are times to see it on someone's tombstone, the Candied Lady. That's pretty significant. That might have been her ministry, honestly. Yeah, what a legacy, right? I mean, truly, that's amazing. Yeah, wow. Anything else y'all would like to add? I was thinking about this, the fact that I'm getting ready to have my big 60th birthday, the big six zero in September. And that just feels kind of old. And I was talking to someone who's a member of this church. She happens to be 97 years old. And I was talking to her about various things. So they're just chatting on the phone. And I mentioned the upcoming birthday that I'm having. And she says, Oh, Janet, Janet, my sixties and seventies were some of my best years. She says, you are not old. And I thought, and when she said it, it just really, it just hit something in my heart. I thought that is true. I'm going to stop saying. I'm getting old. I'm not going to stop doing that because she's right. She was so sincere and encouraging in her tone and her choice of words in that moment. And I appreciated that very much. I really did. Yeah. Our seniors have the authority by time given to them by God, great leadership and power to speak into our lives. They do. It was so meaningful. And it happened so many times to all of us that someone says something in that moment and you think, yes, I needed to hear that. And God has spoken through you to me. And thank you. It's a great thing. Our senior adults are precious beyond words. They are. Amen. You know, one of the focuses of our ministry is not just to minister to our senior adults, but to minister with them. And that is such a privilege. And we love you all, our senior adults, and we're thankful for the privilege of ministering with you. Amen to that. Well, thank you all. We appreciate you being here. Thank you, Ronnie. Yeah, you bet, being guests on this August edition of Senior Connect. I appreciate your ministry to our senior adults, and I know that our listeners have enjoyed hearing from you today. As we conclude this edition of Senior Connect, let me remind you to call the pastoral care phone line if issues arise with which we may be able to help. That number is 803-513-7931. Again, 803-513-7931. Thanks for listening today. I leave you with this reminder from Psalm 92. The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord. They flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age. they are ever full of sap and grain, to declare that the Lord is upright, He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.