You haven't been actively involved in your Christian faith for many years, concentrating instead on your career and other aspects of life. As you head toward retirement, you feel a longing for a renewal of your faith and fellowship with other believers. Consider attending one of the Assembly of God churches in your area. This denomination has a strong focus on senior citizen members, and you'll feel a new sense of Christian purpose there.

Faith-Based Activities

Many seniors in the church membership are retired or semi-retired. That means they might have extra time to devote to faith-based activities compared with the younger adults who work full-time and also may be raising a family. 

The church may rely on the seniors to act as the primary prayer group, praying for members and other individuals experiencing illness, financial trouble and assorted difficulties. The seniors may also be active in volunteering on various projects in the greater community.

As with youth groups, senior groups may focus on Bible study and fellowship afterward. The senior group may organize presentations for Sunday services focusing on a broad range of topics. Depending on the church, the senior group may meet weekly or twice monthly during lunchtime or in the evening. Some seniors prefer not to drive at night, so daytime sessions can be appealing. 

Social Activities

It's both fun and rewarding to spend time socially with others in your general age group who share your faith. Your church helps make this easier by scheduling numerous social events that appeal to a variety of people. On the church calendar for senior social activities, you might find:

• monthly potluck dinners
• weekly or monthly restaurant outings for lunch or supper
• weekly board games 
• trips to concerts, theater events and presentations by guest speakers on faith-based topics

Rewarding Aspects of Senior Groups

Senior citizens never have to worry about where they fit in with this type of congregation. Although they typically aren't parenting young children or teens at this stage of life, they are definitively part of the church family. They are encouraged to offer their words of wisdom and knowledge through life experience to the younger adults who need guidance in raising children, managing money and progressing in their careers -- while staying true to their Christian ideals.

Concluding Thoughts

If you're ready to take that step toward becoming active in faith and fellowship again, find out about Assembly of God churches in your area, such as Van Nest Assembly of God, and decide which one to visit first. You might like to attend a few services at more than one church before making a commitment to becoming a member at any particular place of worship.