A Daughter’s Invitation

It was one of those weekends when my husband and I were staying with friends in another part of the country. We were in County Durham this time – a long way from our home in the South West. Apart from a beautiful walk, great food and special company, we were also looking forward to worshipping with our friends on the Sunday morning.

Full disclosure, nobody has ever actually asked me to be a ‘secret shopper’ in their church, but that has never stopped me. Ever since I gave my life to Jesus, it’s been a thing – I can’t help it. Having been saved at the age of 31, I’ve always been curious about what the Sunday experience is like for the not-yet-believer. Could a person walk in fresh from the street on a given Sunday morning and find people resembling the Lord Jesus; a welcome that’s in tune with God’s heart for the lost; and a message that includes the simple gospel?

More recently, with all the talk of The Quiet Revival – an encouraging uptick in people coming to faith in the UK – there is an extra layer to my curiosity: are older people being caught up in this revival fire, and what does that look like in later life?

After a lovely warm welcome, we walked into the auditorium – the lights were super low, no flowers, or hymn books were in sight, and there were young people everywhere. Not, at first glance, the setting for older faith explorers… or so I thought.

Within minutes we were introduced to an older couple, Trevor and Pat – it was their first time at the church too – and they briefly shared their story with us. Gesturing towards their middle-aged daughter, they explained how their home had been a place of chaos for a long time… until one day their daughter began attending an Alpha course at the church.

She came to a living faith in Jesus and was baptised – and ever since that time a peace had come over her, and over their home, in a way that her parents found inexplicable. The older man still marvelled, “There was a complete change”.

They didn’t fully understand it, but they must have made the connection that something good had happened to their daughter in this church. So today they were there because they wanted to see and experience this place – these people – this God – who had been at the heart of their daughter’s transformation. Between us, we managed to get in a “Wow, that’s amazing” and an assurance: “You can have that same change,” before the service began.

As it unfolded with modern worship songs I didn’t know, action songs, and a young speaker in a baseball cap, my husband and I were loving it – but I couldn’t help wondering what Trevor and Pat were making of it all.

One of the things I often find missing from Sunday services is the gospel clearly preached. How can a person say ‘yes’ to something that nobody explained, and how often do they need to come back before someone tells them what the deal is?

The gospel wasn’t missing on this visit though. He said it once, then in another way, and another way still. No newcomer – young or old – if they were listening, could be in any doubt that Jesus died for them; that there’s nothing they could do to earn His favour; and that they could leave church that morning forgiven and free, by faith in Jesus.

As the service drew to a close, people were invited to come forward for prayer – for any prayer really – but also to say yes to Jesus for the first time. A number of people went forward.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Trevor in his wheelchair go forward too. I was so moved. I didn’t even know then what he’d come forward for – it could have been anything – but I was just amazed at his courage. First time in church; and off he went to receive something from God.

A few hours later, as we were heading south on the motorway, we had a phone call from our friends who told us that Trevor had given his life to Jesus that morning – hallelujah!

That God is at work among older people is not a surprise to us at Faith in Later Life, but what a privilege to have been an eyewitness to God’s amazing grace in this way. Drawn in by his daughter’s testimony; welcomed by a friendly church family; lovingly confronted with the Good News of Jesus; and now an adopted son of God for all eternity.

As we continued our southbound journey, I pondered over a few questions:

• Do we believe this can happen in our own churches?

• Are we equipping ‘sons and daughters’ to share their testimonies with older family members?

• Are we noticing older new arrivals in our gatherings and giving a warm welcome?

• For the sake of that one newcomer – is the gospel clearly preached on a Sunday?

• Are we offering an immediate way of responding to the stirring of the Holy Spirit?

• What is our plan to disciple new older believers as followers of Jesus?

It’s worth noting that when we look at the later-life findings within the Bible Society’s The Quiet Revival report, we see that as well as the much-reported increase in church attendance among younger people (12%), there is also an increase among older people (5%). Although this uplift is smaller, it is not to be overlooked, and alongside Bible Society’s findings, showing that one in three people would come to church if invited by a friend, this should give us great confidence to invite older people too!

Irrespective of what our Christian church expression is — modern, traditional or a mix – what will inevitably draw people of all ages towards Jesus is the witness of lives transformed by the love of Jesus. Beyond that, our role is to help faith explorers have their own encounter of His love – to experience God’s warm welcome, hear His outrageous love for them clearly preached, and receive His invitation to respond.