When Bow Valley Christian Church in Calgary, AB looked around and realized they probably had over 100 people in the age demographic of 60+, it made sense to dedicate a staff person to that particular area.
Sandra Osborne had been doing some staff coaching at the church and so was familiar with the church, and was interested in exploring how these baby boomers could participate in the mission of God and the community of the church.
Baby boomers are unlike other generations.
And there is a lot of them!
This age group tends to be independent, hard working, self-assured, and goal-centric.
They’re not the “typical seniors” in that they are not really interested in conventional senior ministries.
The first year into the job was spent rallying the troops and providing space and time for connection.
Especially after Covid, people needed to get reacquainted and meet new people that had joined the church.
Supper clubs with a prayer time was a gentle introduction for small groups of people to meet each other and spiritually encourage one another.
Sandra also introduced the idea of “pop-up” events.
It might a Christian theatre company or a hike in Kananaskis or some other outing.
It’s basically a chance for people to suggest an idea and cast an open invitation to the rest of the group.
Coming in the fall, they plan to do a course on grandparenting – thinking about spiritual legacy and intentional grandparenting.
Early retirement is a major transition and an ideal time to prayerfully consider God’s invitation at this stage of life.
As Prime Time Pastor, Sandra loves the possibility of this age group.
There’s a sense of spiritual imagination involved as she accompanies and guides people over 60 into deeper relationship with each other, their neighbours, and God.
How do we participate in the mission of God at this age and stage of life?
Photo creds: BBC Creative (Unsplash)