NBA and West Virginia Disciples Partner for Gift of Years Pilot Project

by NBA Cares

St. Louis, MO: March 8, 2013 – The National Benevolent Association (NBA) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia announce the launch of a pilot initiative, the “Gift of Years Project,” a ministry centered on, for, and with older adults. The mission for the “Gift of Years Project” is to name and affirm the gift of years for older adults so that all people may experience life as holy, joyful, and abundant sustaining a wholeness for all the days of life.

The “Gift of Years Project” and the collaborative partnerships involved is part of the new ministry initiatives of the NBA, which include nurturing spiritual care and wellness in local Disciples communities. NBA’s other missional goals involve supporting partnerships between Disciples-related providers of service and care and partnering with a wide variety of Disciples to inspire and connect food and hunger related ministries.

“The passion and commitment for ministry with and for older adults in West Virginia and western Maryland is inspiring to be a part of. As NBA focuses on nurturing new programs related to our mission, we are excited to partner in ministry with our fellow Disciples in these areas,” says NBA President, Mark Anderson.

As a region, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia and western Maryland, named and affirmed to intentionally focus on the needs of older adults. Regional Minister and President, The Reverend Thaddaeus Allen, comments that “the Region has named ministry with Seniors as a priority.  We are gifted to live in a region in which we are surrounded by seniors, sages and saints.  By all accounts this trend will continue in our regional church and in the places we live.  This is a gift to be received and an opportunity for effectiveness in ministry to be seized.  The “Gift of Years Project” is indeed a gift to the world and to Christ’s body.  The “Gift of Years” represents contextual ministry at its core and we are excited for this time and ministry with NBA.”

  • “Watching a project of this magnitude as it is incubated and gets ready to burst wide open is by far the greatest thing I’ve ever been involved with.  I am so excited by the work of the Spirit in this shared ministry that will benefit so many,” says Judy Bennett, regional leader and Pastor of Island Christian Church in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Retired professor and current Dean of Buffalo Seminary and Director of Church Relations at Bethany College, Rev. Dr. Larry Grimes, reflects “we seek to develop and share a biblical theology of aging that provides a powerful counter-narrative to our culture’s medical-therapeutic story about aging. Our focus with the “Gift of Years Project” will be on the joys, hopes, and opportunities that come with age rather than on the horrors and fears that so often are the story related to aging.”

This pilot project between the NBA and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia will serve as a case study in how ministry with and for older adults may benefit other churches and communities across the Disciples denomination. For more information about this emerging ministry and partnership, please contact Rev. Rebecca Hale, NBA Vice President of Church Ministries, at rhale@nbacares.org or David Lundeen, NBA Vice President of Program Services, at dlundeen@nbacares.org.

About the National Benevolent Association

The National Benevolent Association (NBA) serves as the health and social service general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The NBA partners with local congregations, regional and general ministries, and a variety of Disciples-related health and social service providers. The NBA initiates, incubates, and connects partner ministries and organizations that provide direct care to those in need. Our shared work is about advancing the care for and with others in our communities and raising the awareness of needs that are often overlooked and forgotten. For more information about the NBA, visit www.nbacares.org.

About the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is one of thirty-three geographical regions in the denomination and serves as a middle judicatory ministry to nurture and strengthen the life of congregations, members, and ministers, and offer leadership in matters of mutual concern. The Disciples region of West Virginia consists of 43 local churches and a historic and ongoing relationship with Bethany College, an institution founded by Alexander Campbell a founding leader of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). For more information, visit www.giftofyears.org.