In my journeys to churches around the State of Indiana, I am noticing that many of our churches are filled primarily with people that are at or are fast approaching retirement age. While we can argue the merits of reaching families to grow our churches younger we must also care for the sheep God has already brought us.
I am one of those senior adults so I am not just shooting from the hip here. When I ask my peers what they are most concerned about they will start with things like; time is moving so fast, I worry about my children and grandchildren but they end up talking about their finances. These are their questions; Do I have enough to see me to the end? Have I done the right things financially to honor God and my family? And for some, I don’t want my money to be wasted after I die.
While those are good, even great questions, it is the questions they don’t ask that trouble me. It seems many “seniors” have no clue about their need for a will, about having financial and health-related powers of attorney and the need for an advanced directive regarding their healthcare. They could end up having people that don’t really care about them make decisions regarding treatment and housing and they could stand to lose a significant amount of their savings besides. You can imagine how bad this would be for them and their families.
While there is no “one size fits all” answer for your senior adults there are ways to help them have peace about this part of their lives. Why don’t you set up a Senior Adult Estate Planning Event for them? We will discuss all the hot-button needs and show them options that can give your “Seniors” the sense they have done all they can to prepare for the inevitable, their own deaths. And that they have done so in a way that is God-honoring, family protecting and their dream securing.
Let’s get it on the calendar. Email me at bweeks@inbaptistfoundation.org or call my cell at 812/592-3755. God Bless!