For some nursing-home residents, being unable to attend church regularly is among the toughest losses they’ll experience in this life. That’s why the best facilities go to great lengths to address their residents’ spiritual needs, providing a full slate of worship activities in-house – everything from Bible studies to hymn sings to one-on-one visits from men and women representing specific denominations.
At “my” nursing home, I’ve had the privilege of contributing to this effort via a monthly Christian Music Hour – an hour-long hymn sing that has evolved into something more over the last 15+ years, with the addition of an outstanding message delivered by an excellent lay preacher from my church.
Each month, we flank his message with a dozen favorite old hymns. We produce booklets displaying the lyrics for this month’s songs in 18- or 20-point type; other volunteers from my church (including our preacher’s wife and children) are on hand to gather our congregation beforehand, to turn pages, to hand out gospel tracts, and to bring the worshipers to lunch following the service.
We launched a recent Christian Music Hour with several songs exalting the Lord for who He is:
Next, we sang about the salvation, assurance and sanctification He offers everyone who repents and trusts in Jesus:
After another gripping message from our preacher, we lifted our voices in praise of His faithfulness to us:
Finally, we expressed our gratitude for the land He has blessed us with:
If you'd like to present such a program at your local nursing home, great! Let me know if I can be of any help -- providing typed-up lyrics, for instance, song lists, or recommendations on the best recordings I've found to date.
At “my” nursing home, I’ve had the privilege of contributing to this effort via a monthly Christian Music Hour – an hour-long hymn sing that has evolved into something more over the last 15+ years, with the addition of an outstanding message delivered by an excellent lay preacher from my church.
Each month, we flank his message with a dozen favorite old hymns. We produce booklets displaying the lyrics for this month’s songs in 18- or 20-point type; other volunteers from my church (including our preacher’s wife and children) are on hand to gather our congregation beforehand, to turn pages, to hand out gospel tracts, and to bring the worshipers to lunch following the service.
We launched a recent Christian Music Hour with several songs exalting the Lord for who He is:
- Holy, Holy, Holy
- Praise to the Lord
- O God, Our Help in Ages Past (click on the video below to hear a particularly lovely version of this wonderful Isaac Watts hymn)
Next, we sang about the salvation, assurance and sanctification He offers everyone who repents and trusts in Jesus:
- Jesus Paid It All
- Blessed Assurance
- Whiter than Snow
After another gripping message from our preacher, we lifted our voices in praise of His faithfulness to us:
- How Firm a Foundation
- Great Is Thy Faithfulness
- I Know Whom I Have Believed
Finally, we expressed our gratitude for the land He has blessed us with:
- America the Beautiful
- God Bless America
- The Battle Hymn of the Republic
If you'd like to present such a program at your local nursing home, great! Let me know if I can be of any help -- providing typed-up lyrics, for instance, song lists, or recommendations on the best recordings I've found to date.
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