Trained volunteers provide leadership in the religious dimension for care center residents.

Volunteer Bringing Handmade Afghan to Resident

THE NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS

Tragically, many care center residents feel that they are no longer important or of use to our society. Moreover, many of the families of the residents, as well as the Church itself, have the same outlook on those who are confined to these care centers. What we must realize, however, is that the residents of these care centers are souls God loves and for whom Christ died.

Statistically, it has been said that it is rare for the elderly to be converted to Christ because of their age and a general lack of interest in religious matters. We have found that this is simply not true. The problem is that very few people bring the gospel message to the elderly in the first place! Consequently, no segment of our society is as desperately needy for spiritual food as those confined to skilled care centers and assisted living facilities and they need to be shown the love of Christ in a personal way. Are the aged worthy of this effort? We strongly believe so! To bring God’s love to the aged and confined is truly an opportunity to be a servant of Jesus Christ.

Volunteer Training Class

THE VOLUNTEERS’ WORK

Dedicated, Christian volunteers constitute the very heart of Crossroads Ministries USA. Without volunteers, the ministry would not be able to function. To qualify as a volunteer, one must know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, be grounded in His Word, have a love for the elderly and a true desire to be a servant of Jesus Christ. Volunteers must also be in agreement with Crossroads’ Statement of Faith. Crossroads’ recruits those who wish to become volunteers and trains them in the classroom as well as in the care centers. When training is complete, our volunteers are placed in care centers to minister to assigned residents on a regular "one-on-one" basis. One-on-one has proven to be the most effective method of meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of the residents because the volunteers have the attention of the residents and the visits are personal. When a personal relationship develops – when the volunteers become friends with the residents – the residents begin to open up and share their hearts with the volunteers (it's a wonderful sight to behold!). As the residents become friends with the volunteers, they will almost always permit the volunteers to pray and read the scriptures to them. In time, many of the residents want to know more about the Christ the volunteers serve and they will respond to an invitation to accept Christ as their Savior.

In addition to one-on-one visitation, our volunteers lead church services, provide music and lead Bible studies. Our volunteers are also available to minister to the spiritual and emotional needs of the residents’ family members as well as the staff of these care-giving centers. In addition to the above, our chaplains conduct memorial and funeral services.

Just a note about children. A male resident who is 100 years old made this comment: "Do you know what’s wrong with this place? There’s nothing here but old people!" He went on to say, "I have so many stories to tell and no one to tell them to." The residents love to have children come to visit them and many of our volunteers take their children (all ages) to visit them on a regular basis.

Father and Son Visit Resident

SOME RESULTS

The lives of the residents of our care centers are being changed on a daily basis. Many have less depression and anger; many have regained meaning and purpose in life; and many have received Jesus Christ as their Savior.

A series of studies at Duke University, and other research centers, confirm the fact that when the spiritual and emotional needs of the aged are met it has a significant, positive impact on their health. For example, greater religious involvement has been associated with lower blood pressure, fewer strokes, lower rates of death from heart disease, lower mortality after heart surgery, longer survival and better quality of life in general. As a result, when the aged feel better physically, they respond positively to the love of Christ that is demonstrated to them by our volunteers.