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Daily Updates
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TUESDAY, SEPT. 12
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| Bob Neff, introduced as "a friend to hundreds and hundreds of us," presents thoughts on Psalm 90 in the morning Bible study. |
Weather: Partly sunny, high near 80
Highlights: First in series of three Bible studies led by Bob Neff; video segments on some "fresh and green" Brethren and a humorous segment on Brethren and ice cream (both done by videographers David Sollenberger and Larry Glick); keynote session by Robert Raines; initial day of handcrafts, interest groups, recreation activities, and entertainment; antiphonal vespers by the lake; "Heavenly Days" drama; campfire singing; and a "State of the Church" panel featuring executives and others from the InterAgency Forum, who are meeting during NOAC.
Today's quote: "We aren't always sure we're still bearing fruit, still fresh and green. Sometimes we feel more like a shriveled orange."--Don Shank, pastor of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren (Elgin, Ill.) in introductory remarks.
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| Robert Raines speaks on "Spiritual Imperatives for Creative Aging" Tuesday morning. |
Sessions: Neff, former General Board general secretary and Juniata College president, brought a deep and personal exploration of a psalm he called a "psalm for old age." "It's just at the moment you think you have everything in your hand that you realize the shortness of life," Neff said. He explored the expressions of anger and frustration toward God and the eventual change of mood to valuing the time we have, ending in prayer: "God, complete the work of my hands."
Raines continued the theme, using humorous stories and warmth to list tasks of creative aging, from a wakeup call to one's own mortality to embracing sorrow and nurturing intimacy, and eventually "taking on the mystery." "Instead of gulping life down, we want to savor it. We want to dine," he said.
The evening session featured entertainment by members of the Shepherd Center in North Manchester, Ind., who put on the drama "Heavenly Days." The reader's-theater style play, by Betty Plunkett and Allen Norris, focused on a month in the life of members of a retirement home, with both touching and funny moments and more than a dozen original songs.
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| Actors in "Heavenly Days" take their final bow and acknowledge their accompaniment. |
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National Older Adult Conference
