Hardage was serving as director of development for George W. Truett Theological Seminary and interim pastor at First Baptist Church in Waxahachie. He previously has served as executive director of the Waco Regional Baptist Association. He also has been pastor of First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs, First Baptist Church in Holliday and First Baptist Church in Blum. He also pastored First Baptist Church in Weatherford, Okla. and has served as interim pastor at churches such as Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco, First Baptist Church in Huntsville and First Baptist Church in Bryan.

Hardage said he is honored to be selected to serve Texas Baptists. He will begin as executive director Feb. 1.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our Texas Baptist family as executive director,” Hardage said. “It is an honor, and I’m very humbled. I have great respect for those who have served in this position before me and appreciate so much those currently serving this convention. Texas Baptists are making a positive difference for the kingdom, and this is to be celebrated. However, there is so much still to be done. Together, as we work, pray and give we can touch this state and beyond, to an even greater degree.”

Hardage has served as the the chairman of the BGCT State Missions Commission, chairman of the BGCT Missions Funding Committee and as a trustee at East Texas Baptist University. He currently is a trustee at Latham Springs Camp and Retreat Center.

Hardage earned his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, a master’s of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City.

First Baptist Church in Richardson is helping remember the lives of senior adults through a ministry that allows elderly church members to record their life stories and key life moments so that they can leave their legacy for their families and future generations.

This is “an opportunity for our seniors and for their family to capture a brief overview of their life,” said Rebekah McDermott, volunteer coordinator of Legacy.

The program offers a free hour-long recording to senior adults in the church so that they have a living heritage to share with their families.

“It is so important to capture the video, the gestures, the voice, the person for future generations to see,” Rebekah said.

Each interested senior is given a video example of a Legacy recording and a packet of information, complete with a list of questions to help them think through the information they would like to share.

“The biggest obstacle we have is that they are feeling overwhelmed by how they should begin [the recording] and what they should say. They get excited about the project, but they get overwhelmed with what to say. For us, the biggest objective is helping them get past the obstacle of it being hard and unmanageable for them.” Rebekah said.

To do this, the  list of questions relate to experiences they may want to share, experiences like childhood memories, school days, dreams and aspirations, marriage and family, careers, Christian service and journey, spiritual development and other significant life moments.

The team hosts recording days from 1:30 to 3:30 each Tuesday afternoon during the school year. The team hosts the recordings in the church prayer room, giving the seniors a quiet familiar place to share their stories. More than 12 church members have stepped up to join the Legacy team, with three volunteers serve during each recording – an interviewer, a camera operator and a sound technician.

During the recording, seniors can show photos from their life, mementos or any significant items that help tell their story. The recording can be of an individual senior or a couple, depending on how the seniors would like to tell their stories.

If seniors are not able to come to the church due to being homebound, the Legacy team will take the recording equipment to the individual’s home or assisted living center. If a senior would like to be involved in the project, the team will make it happen, Rebekah said.

“If someone is in urgent need – one of our seniors is in a nursing home and homebound – we take the program to their home or wherever they are so that it is in their convenience and comfort. We try to make it easy for the seniors, very easy to get past ‘Oh, what am I going to say?’ and to help the seniors see how easy it us,” she said.

Since the program started three years ago, the team has recorded 22 seniors. Those who have participated in the recordings have been impressed with the finished product and are so thankful that they finished the Legacy project. Each senior is given one free DVD recording but can purchase additional copies, if desired.

“There was a senior couple that was so excited about doing this. She said, ‘Oh I wish we had something like this when my mom and dad and grandmother were a live.’ Three months after the recording, the husband was out one day and died of a heat attack. They were so thankful that they had made the recording,” Rebekah said.

As senior adults have taken part in this ministry, younger generations also are being challenged and encouraged as they  learn more about their parents and grandparents.

“Most of the people who have done this have shared why Jesus is so important in their lives. And when it is in the recording, their children see it in a different light and it makes an impact,“ Rebekah said.

Setting up a Legacy program takes some effort, but it is feasible for any church, Rebekah said. Because of this, Rebekah and the other team members have created a “how to” packet of information to help other churches begin a Legacy ministry and bless the senior adults in their community.

“We have great enthusiasm for this ministry and see this as a wonderful ministry,” she said.

To connect with Rebekah and to get information about starting Legacy in other churches, contact her at rebekahmcdermott@gmail.com.

Hardage currently serves as director of development for George W. Truett Theological Seminary and interim pastor at First Baptist Church in Waxahachie. He previously has served as executive director of the Waco Regional Baptist Association. He also has been pastor of First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs, First Baptist Church in Holliday and First Baptist Church in Blum. He also pastored First Baptist Church in Weatherford, Okla. and has served as interim pastor at churches such as Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco, First Baptist Church in Huntsville and First Baptist Church in Bryan.

The BGCT Executive Board, which is charged with hiring the convention’s executive director, will vote on whether to call Hardage to the position Jan. 12 during a special called meeting.

Hardage said he is grateful for the influence Texas Baptists have had throughout his life and ministry. He is thankful for the opportunity to be considered as the convention’s next executive director.

“I am honored and humbled by this opportunity to serve our Texas Baptist family,” Hardage said. “I am a grassroots Texas Baptist. I was saved, baptized, called, licensed and ordained in Texas Baptist churches. I received my education at a Texas Baptist institution and have served as pastor of three Texas Baptist churches and interim pastor of five others. I have been the director of missions of a Texas Baptist association and now have served at one of our seminaries. It has also been my privilege to serve Texas Baptists, voluntarily, through a variety of committees and boards.”

Hardage has served as the the chairman of the BGCT State Missions Commission, chairman of the BGCT Missions Funding Committee and as a trustee at East Texas Baptist University. He currently is a trustee at Latham Springs Camp and Retreat Center.

Ron Lyles, chairman of the search committee, praised Hardage as a “man who has a strong love for Jesus and for the Body of Christ, the Church.” He characterized Hardage as having the professional and personal skills to lead Texas Baptists.

“David’s desire is to build upon the strengths of what we as Texas Baptists are doing well and to guide us in making the necessary changes to make our cooperative work even more effective and efficient. He wants to move us ‘from viability to vitality,’” Lyles wrote to the Executive Board.

“The search committee looks forward to the official presentation of David Hardage for your consideration and affirmation. I am confident that those of you who do not know David well will be impressed when you have that opportunity. We gladly recommend him to you to serve as our next executive director.”

Hardage earned his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, a master’s of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City.

Click to view David Hardage’s resume.

Attending Sunday school and a church service is completely impossible for some, specifically those who are homebound or living in nursing homes. Many faithful church members, as they age and become elderly, are no longer physically able to attend church services and activities, but their desire for fellowship, worship and Bible study is still there.

A group at First Baptist Huntsville realized this and found a unique way to approach the problem – a conference call Sunday school class that they call the Airborne Class.

For years, the church has televised the morning worship service, giving others who cannot travel to the church building an opportunity to participate in a worship service.

One day, Mark Seanor, the church’s minister to experienced adults, was visiting a homebound couple. The wife, Sarah, mentioned how much she appreciated having a televised worship service each week. Though she was physically able to attend church, she was the caregiver for her elderly husband and could not leave him alone.

Knowing that the service meant so much to Sarah, Mark began to think of other ways to minster to her and others like her and her husband. Another church member suggested giving these members the opportunity to  participate in a Sunday school lesson too.

Mark knew of several  members who were homebound due to illness, physical limitations or being caregivers, so he and a few others at the church came up with the idea to create the Airborne Sunday School Class, a complete class broadcast through a conference call system. They called their phone provider, set up a conference call system, recruited a Sunday school teacher and distributed the new class information to the homebound members.

Since the class started, the group has had anywhere from seven members to more than 30 call in to participate in the class.

Each member is given a Sunday school book as well as the 1-800 number to call to gain access to the conference call class. The church covers the cost of the calling system, making the conference call completely free to the participants.

Once church members dial into the system, they are able to converse with each other, just like they would if they were arriving in person at a Sunday school class at the church building. When the class is started, the leader takes role call and lets members acknowledge their presence, if desired.

“Just like a Sunday school class, they can talk with each other, pray, sing a hymn and have role call,” Mark said. “Sometimes someone brings in special music.”

The ministry webpage says that “prayer concerns are shared, a hymn is sung, and a Bible Study lesson with a life challenge for the week is given – just like a regular adult Sunday Morning Bible Study Class.”

Typically, the Sunday school teachers, Kennie and Len Worlund, host the class from Mark’s office at the church. But there have been times that the Worlunds have been out of town and have taught the lesson from a cell phone at the new location thanks to the conference call system.

The class is held from 9:30 to 10 a.m., leaving the members a few minutes to get situated for the televised worship service that starts at 10:30 a.m.

“It offers a lot of ministry touches,” Mark said.

Having an airborne class has shown this group of members that they are not forgotten and that their spiritual growth and encouragement is valued by the church even though they are no physically able to meet with others at the church building.

“They have loved it. This is their Sunday school class. It has kept a touch to the church. To a lot of these folks, this reaches out to them,” Mark said.

Through the class, many members have found ways to be part of the church ministry though they are home or in an assisted living center. Many have become part of a vital prayer team for the church. Prayer requests are sent to the Airborne members and then they pray over them and send notes to those who made the requests.

“ They feel like it is just not receiving but are a vital part of the ministry, and they feel they are still needed,” Mark said.

For churches interested in starting their own airborne Sunday school class, Mark suggests they connect with their phone service provider to see what conference call options are available. Typically there is a fee for the conference call access since it is run on a 1-800 number.

“A lot of churches are not able to have a television ministries, but they can have a Sunday school touch. They can have a live touch. It keeps members who once were active, to still feel a part,” Mark said.

In 1997, Nancy and Ashley were delivering Christmas gifts to children in need through a local outreach effort. While at the family’s home, everything changed. They noticed someone else in the room – an elderly gentleman who needed love and care just as much as the children.

The girls rushed home to share what they had seen with Jerry. Being moved by the situation, they began to pray about how to help, and they began to research the needs of the elderly in the community.

In 1999, they stepped out in faith and started A Time to Share, a ministry that provides Christmas presents and a personal touch to the elderly and adults with special needs in the Amarillo area.

The first year, the Hanings were able to help 151 individuals. Since then, the organization has connected with more than 1,100 individuals, some who have not had an opportunity to celebrate Christmas in more than a decade.

Though a major portion of the ministry is taking Christmas gifts to the elderly, Nancy is quick to share that it is also about spending time with those who are lonely and letting them know they are loved and valued, both by their community and by the Lord.

“All of us deserve to celebrate Lord Jesus’ birth and his death and ressurection, regardless of what choices we’ve made or what’s gone down with our families,” Nancy said. “We’re all important to him. Thus, we must all be important to each other.”

To see the sights and sounds of A Time to Share, watch this month’s Opening Doors video.

To see an article about A Time to Share, visit the Baptist Standard.

Most of the year, the ATtS workshop is filled with volunteers who are pulling gifts for participants, wrapping them and preparing for delivery day.

Nancy and other volunteers shop year round  for  bargains, being good stewards of the donations sent their way and stretching their dollar so that they can serve more elderly individuals.

On delivery day, the first Saturday in December, hundreds of volunteers pick up packages from the workshop and deliver them all across the community to elderly individuals. They come with gifts but they also hope to share love, care and support for the individuals.

More than anything, Judy was just a friend to a lady who felt alone and sometimes forgotten.

“It’s so our homebound members do not feel forgotten,” Judy said. “I have a heart for the elderly. I enjoy being around them and I consider them my mentors. I enjoy having them as friends.”

Judy is the volunteer director for the Yes, Lord! Aging Team at First Baptist Church in San Antonio. Back in 2004, the church set up a series of “Yes, Lord!” ministries where church members could get involved in the functions of the church and with reaching out to the community.

Judy spoke with the then Aging Team organizers and was ready to jump because of her love fore senior adults. She was pared with the lady in her 90s, and for three years, Judy faithfully went to check up this lady, stating that she was always blessed by their time together. Often, they would visit and end their time as prayer partners praying through the church prayer list.

In 2007, the then team directors had to step down from their position for some health reasons, and the Lord had further plans for Judy.

“The Lord just laid on my heart that we needed to continue this ministry. The Lord just called me to be a team leader,” Judy said.

Currently, Judy and one other co-leader help coordinate 34 members of the Aging Team who minister to about 95 homebound church members, age 75 or above.

The ministries of the team are quite diverse. Some love to send the homebound members hand-written notes each month while others enjoy visiting a specific elderly member weekly or bi-weekly or giving them a phone call.

When needed some of the team members will take the elderly members to the doctor or assist with household needs. No matter what the task at hand, the team members are focused on one goal – helping these homebound members know they have a friend and are not forgotten.

“The whole purpose is that we don’t want these saints, these people who have spent their lives in the church, we don’t want them to feel forgotten,” Judy said.

When needed, volunteers also will assist the caregivers of the homebound. They often will sit with the homebound member for a few hours so that the caregiver can go get groceries, go to a hair appointment or do something else that may give them a little needed rest.

Most of the volunteer team members are retired and have ample time to visit the homebound members, but some are families who involve their children in the ministry.

Though much of the ministry is about being a friend, Judy notes that there does need to be a level of commitment. Ministry volunteers need to understand that a way to encourage the homebound and to help them in their situation is to show them consistency, she said.

“To have a friend, you have to be a friend. You have to be there,” Judy said.

As Judy has seen volunteers show the homebound members love and friendship, she has seen so much joy present in the lives of both the helper and the homebound member.

When they see someone cares, “the reaction is joyous on the part of the senior,” Judy said. “They are so happy and it just brings joy into their lives for us to come visit. One of the things we always do is pray with them. We never leave if we don’t have a prayer with them and for them.

*Judy asked that her last name not be posted in the article.

If you are connected to a church, speak with the education minister or head of the deacons and ask for a list of homebound members or senior adults who may need help with daily tasks or just need some encouragement on lonely days. Most churches keep lists of members who are no longer able to attend services or onsite Bible studies.

Another way is to connect with organizations established to assist this group in the state. One such way is connecting with your local Meals on Wheels organization. Daily, this organization connects with thousands of volunteers to take meals to senior adults who need a helping hand. Because of the nature of the organization, the leadership will have a good idea of ways to help the elderly around them.

Other businesses that may be able to connect you to the elderly in the community are home health care agencies. Typically employees of these agencies are visiting the homes of the elderly weekly to aid them in their health struggles or day-to-day needs.  Though these agencies may not be able to share detailed information with you due to medical privacy laws, they could share about general needs they see and give ideas for helping the broader elderly community.

The Area Agencies on Aging are also places to connect with volunteer and social service opportunities for the elderly and to find out the best ways to connect with them. A directory of Texas aging agencies can be found here.

Nursing homes and assisted living centers are completely focused on meeting the needs of the elderly in the community and also are a great place to get connected. Look in your local phonebook and online for nursing homes in your community or take a drive through your city, keeping your eyes open for nursing home facilities. Most centers have volunteer directors ready to help the community connect with the residents and bring them friendship and cheer.

Most communities have senior citizens’ centers, giving older adults a gathering place to connect with social services and activities they might enjoy. Though many seniors who participate in these centers are still quite mobile, they may be connected to others in the community who are more elderly and in need of home visits and volunteer assistance.

As you are looking for places to connect with the elderly, pray that the Lord will bring you people of peace who can introduce you to the elderly community or help open avenues of trust where you will be able to build friendships and minister to their needs. He’s a big God, and if He’s laid elderly ministry on your heart, He will direct you to the people He wants you to love and encourage.

There are times in life when you lose or misplace things… keys, important insurance papers, socks, a favorite book and more. But after an intense search, you may find the lost items once again. The loss is momentary.

But what do you do when you arrive at a point in life where there is more loss than anything else and it no longer deals with precious items? What do you do when you arrive at a point where it seems like the things your desire and the people you love are long gone? When it seems like the joyous celebrations are few and far between?

That is the exact place many of the frail elderly in our society are at right now. The frail elderly typically are in their mid 80s, a point in life where all they once had is no longer just so and they experience loss as commonplace.

Many have lost a spouse, close friends and siblings by this point. They may have lost their mobility or independence due to poor eyesight, hearing, lung capacity or health issues.

“Arthritis is the  number one chronic condition among older adults. That is not going to take their life, but it is something that can be painful, and it’s something that people have to live with,” said Amy Hanson, a gerontologist and professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, in a recent Fellowship Hall podcast.

At other times, they deal with aggressive memory loss and brain function that comes through diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Other losses include financial stability, hobbies and community involvement. All of these losses bring significant change to the lives of the elderly.

“Our social world shrinks in those later years. Friends die. Our kids may move out of the community maybe where we have lived and so there is a real change in relationships,” Amy said.

In Texas, more than 1.1 million Texans are age 75 or older and deal with many of these experiences. There is a portion of this group that is active and is comfortable with living independently, but some know the reality of loss.

“Probably one of the biggest of those losses you hear about and a fear when I ask the older old, one of their biggest fears about aging, they will say, ‘Losing my independence, not being able to take care of myself anymore. Not having purpose,’” Amy said.

Loss of independence comes in many forms, Amy said. Loss of driving can limit ones ability to go to church or participate in activities that once brought enjoyment and comfort.

When this happens, the elderly can start to feel forgotten, to feel like they are hidden away, shut away from society. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

“One of the good things that can come from [the loss that takes place], from people who embrace that, is God wants us to need Him, to depend on Him. And at this season in life, all those other things in life that we have leaned on or we have used are kind of stripped away, and that can be a good place to be in our relationship with God,” Amy said.

But in addition to the seniors embracing the grace and provision of God in this time, there are many practical ways that Christ followers can seek out the elderly in their communities and find ways to make them know they are found and not forgotten.

Through the next blogs coming later this week, keep reading to learn how a few churches are being creative in the ways they are meeting the needs of the elderly in their communities and practically showing that God loves them.

For me, I first recognized this feeling when I was as a kid. I was probably in the 3^rd grade, and I was with my mom at the grocery store. I wanted to be her big helper and go pick out a certain item on our grocery list since I knew where it was in the store. My mom was going one aisle over to get another item and I was to meet her there when I was done.

I proudly walked down my aisle, grabbed the product, probably a bag of pretzels or something, and went to find my mom. I was so excited that I had accomplished my mission and was helping. As I tried to head back to my mom, I must have turned right when I should have turned left, but I couldn’t find my mom.

At first, I went across a couple of aisles thinking in my little head that surely my mom was just one more aisle over, gathering other items on the list. But row after row, I walked, and I didn’t see anyone I recognized.

The shelves of canned goods around me seemed to grow taller and ominous. My eyes grew big with fear, and a feeling of panic and loneliness washed over me. All I could think about was that I was forgotten.

Of course this wasn’t true. My mother is a wonderful, loving lady and wouldn’t forget me. And she was actually looking for me at that very moment. But those feelings were what was going through my head that morning as I couldn’t find her in the grocery store.

Eventually I ran into a store worker who must have seen the fright on my face and asked me what was wrong. I said that I couldn’t find my mom, and she gladly paged my mother to come meet me at the front of the store.

I was reunited with my mom. She hugged me, calmed my fears and all was well again. But I will never forget that moment of realizing those feelings.

I’m sure that we all have a story similar to this, one about feeling lost or forgotten. For me, the feeling of being forgotten was short lived. But for many, it is their daily reality.

Many of the elderly and homebound seniors in our state experience loneliness and a lack of love being poured into their lives as they no longer are in the forefront of life, as they may be forgotten. They are part of what is called the Greatest Generation, serving our country so faithfully through many wars and hard times, but now they are often shut away from society and not many people are looking out for them and showing them love and gratitude.

Being shut away from society may have happened for a variety of reasons – finances, lack of mobility, health issues, etc. They feel like they now have little to contribute to life due to their situation and it can be a hopeless place for them.

And these feelings and longings grow deeper during the Christmas season as they may not have any way to celebrate the Christ Child’s birth, participate in the holiday cheer or have visitors to spend the day with.

This month with Opening Doors, I’ll be exploring what it means to remember the Forgotten Ones of our society as we take a look at what the frail elderly of our state experience each day. By the end of the Christmas season, I hope we can see how we as Christ followers can bring hope into the lives of these senior adults, the help they may need and a simple act that lets them know they are NOT forgotten anymore.

This fall the gathering will shift from a two-day annual meeting to a three-day conference aimed at providing helpful thoughts and actions from ministers and ministry practitioners from across the state, said Wayne Shuffield, who leads Texas Baptists’ Evangelism/Missions Team. Patterned after the Catalyst conferences, plenary Ignite Hope Sessions will feature a series of speakers, none of whom will speak longer than 20 minutes.

Featured presenters include: Ron Hall, best-selling author of Same Kind of Different as Me who details encounters and friendship with a homeless man in a Fort Worth ministry; Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay research who has provided statistical insight to church leaders around the globe; Milfred Minatrea, founding director of the Missional Church Center; and Bob Roberts, pastor of Northwood Church in Keller, whose church seeks to have an impact locally and globally by sharing the hope of Christ.

Other presentations will focus on reaching Muslims for Christ, starting churches in apartment complexes, sharing the gospel effectively and clearly, ministering to unreached people groups, participating in mission work globally, having an effective restorative justice ministry and using music and drama groups in evangelism.

“Messengers and guests at this year’s annual meeting will experience the impact and footprint Texas Baptists make globally in obedience to our Acts 1:8 mandate,” Shuffield said. “In addition, participants will hear and learn from multiple and various speakers fresh and practical ideas and insights to take home to their churches, neighborhoods, schools and businesses to implement in their Hope 1:8 strategies and goals.”

The reworked Annual Meeting, which begins when registration opens Oct. 24, is the outgrowth of a convention study committee’s recommendations designed to encourage more Texas Baptist churches to participate in the yearly gathering. The 2011 annual meeting will take place in the Amarillo Civic Center.

The committee recommended that each annual meeting focus on a specific topic that would help Texas Baptists in their efforts to spread the gospel. Those topics are to rotate. The first topic – evangelism and missions – Shuffield believes, reflects the heart of God and the passion of Texas Baptists.

“All Texas Baptists, at our core, are about reaching Texas for Christ, equipping each other in Christ, and assisting through partnership with one another in our Acts 1:8 mission with Christ,” Shuffield said. “This is Evangelism and Missions for Texas Baptists. We will gather in Amarillo this month to fellowship, celebrate, learn more and sharpen skills for all God is doing and wants to do through Texas Baptists in our world.”

For more information about the meeting, visit www.texasbaptists.org/annnualmeeting.