Tuning in to a Christian past

A church in Sydney’s north is developing an audio resource to help older Christian’s re-connect with their faith.

A church congregation in Sydney’s north is conducting a project to produce a resource for older Christians.

The working group from Pennant Hills Uniting Church is developing an audio collection of popular hymns, choruses, Bible passages, prayers and poems to help older people re-connect with the faith of their youths.

The group is currently conducting a survey of 1,000 older people from a range of locations and denominations to select the most popular tracks for recording.

The project’s convenor, Dr Fenton Sharpe said the audio resource would be useful for a wide range of older Christians, including those with dementia.

“Although many ageing people gradually lose the acuity of their short-term memory, they tend to retain precious memories of their childhood and their youth for a much longer time,” he said.

“They enjoy reminiscing about experience of their early lives, often becoming animated and emotionally involved in the process.”

Dr Sharpe said many older people with early Christian experiences find familiar hymns and verses of Scripture quite moving.

“I remember observing a member of our own congregation, whose memory was badly affected by dementia, and whose demeanour and expression had become remote and unengaged, becoming visibly animated and engaged as she sang with great accuracy the words of the congregational hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” said Dr Sharpe.

“This hymn seemed to enable her to connect again with her Christian faith in a highly meaningful and personal way.”

The survey is being distributed by post and email. For more information, contact Dr Fenton Sharpe on 02 9484 6197 or at fsharpe@bigpond.net.au.
 

Tags: aged, association-thomsonadsett, care, retirement, villages,

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