Listen to what God can do through a couple passionate about serving Him AFTER stepping aside from ‘full-time ministry’ positions!

19 years ago Rick & Traci Harvey served a couple Cornish hens from a humble trailer and gave away their first bag of donated clothing, Since then God has multiplied the scope and impact of Soul Food Café Mission in Conway, Arkansas ... through an amazing volunteer workforce made up largely of adults over sixty.

While these adults often initially wonder if they still have something worthwhile to offer, many quickly discover incredible niches of service ... so much more gratifying than sitting at home watching TV! Most of these volunteers ... some in their sixties, seventies, eighties and even nineties ... were raised with a tenacious work ethic. Hard work still suits them well, as they show Christ’s compassion to others.

Now operating out of a 14,400 square foot structure, hundreds are served each week with a hot meal, clothing, haircuts, counseling, and a message from God’s Word.

Rick:  [email protected]

Traci:  [email protected]

As executive director of Sarah’s Home in Colorado, Vicki Proffit (at the age of seventy) is another vivid example of someone saying ‘YES!” to God and being young enough to serve. Addressing the unimaginable horror of children being sex-trafficked right here in the United States, Sarah’s Home offers both healing and hope to young women.

While praying continually for God to change hearts, God has used older adults in dramatic ways to see the dream of Sarah’s Home realized. Many older volunteers have helped with needs such as construction, counseling, medical care, life skills and job training, language, general education, and Biblical discipleship.

Vicki explains that these are normal girls with extra layers of wounds, often from homes full of turmoil. The transforming power of God is amazing, as many of these women enter angry, scared and untouchable and graduate with a solid foundation in Christ.

Please listen to Vicki’s inspiring stories, flowing from a heart of love and compassion. Hear, too, how God is helping to establish Daniel’s Home as well.

Paul with his dear wife, Norma.

Paul serves as the director of Second Half Ministries for the Assemblies of God in Southern California.

We love how he has placed intercessory prayer at the forefront of this ministry. He is not overseeing a bunch of programs and sliding in prayer as an afterthought … he rightfully sees prayer as the hidden steel rebar that holds everything together.

Paul reminds us that God is preparing you today for what He will ask you to do tomorrow. And what better preparation than being part of the vanguard of prayer that moves the hand of God and makes demons tremble.

We love, too, how prayer connects us to younger generations, as we daily call out the names of our grandchildren and others. They want to accept a lit torch from us, not an inanimate baton.

One of the ‘Heritage Heroes’ Paul mentions in this podcast is Steve Asmuth, who happens to be the father-in-law of Perry Hamilton, one of our former YES! board members. You’re invited to join Steve for a sing-along on his Facebook page each Saturday at 10 AM.

Dodey and her husband Mike have been missionaries for nearly forty years, and they currently serve with Child Hope in Chile.

Dodey shares about the key role older adults can play, even in churches’ online COVID world, when it’s mostly younger people coming to the forefront with their innate tech skills.

She also shares a rich devotional, challenging us to consider and steward the “meantime” in our lives. In addition to being actively obedient and making the most of in-between moments, she underscores that meantimes have both a beginning and end. There is hope in knowing that our darker meantimes, such as the current pandemic, won’t last forever.

Marlene experienced the difficult life transition of becoming a widow, and over time God tapped her to help other widows.

Practical ways of reaching out to widows include phone calls, meals, gift bags, home and car repair, grocery and other shopping assistance, tech coaching, prayer, and even special outreach to them on Valentine’s Day. Women who have lost their spouse need special assurance that they are not falling between the cracks—they are loved by God, not forgotten, an integral part of the body of Christ.

But widows are not just needy; they’re also needed. Marlene reminds us that these women are often untapped treasure boxes of God’s love and mercy.

Be sure to check out resources on her website at widowslink.org . And here’s a helpful quick intro to starting a widow’s ministry in your church.

After seeking for love, belonging and approval in all the wrong places, Anh found herself in a California prison, serving 25 years to life. Fortunately, her story doesn’t end there. Through miraculous encounters with God, the prayers of others, Christian radio, and Prison Fellowship, Anh finally found love in the arms of Jesus.

Not only was her life transformed, Anh was able to help disciple many other women in prison. Now released, she continues to share the hope and love she has through the redemptive forgiveness of Christ.

Candace loves being a Nana to her and Art’s combined tribe of 23 grandchildren. And beyond that, she loves being a mom to an assortment of others.

Candace reflects on the combined influences of other godly women and the heritage of her own life challenges, equipping her to impact others during life’s later decades.

Among other truths from God’s word, she highlights from Titus 2 how older men and women still need to be taught:

Look at the heart of younger people.

Refuse to be a critic.

Give them a torch that is positive.

Wrinkles are not designed to be an obstacle to ministry.

We can all work daily on becoming more sensitive and obedient to the Holy Spirit’s promptings.

Jolonda is another young adult who understands the value of adults continuing to use their gifts, serving God in their later years.

Jolonda is one of the younger members of the YES! Young Enough to Serve board of directors. She serves as a worship leader/coach at Grace Church in Avon, Massachusetts. She and her husband Emrys are blessed to be Elijah’s parents.

Coming to Christ in Wisconsin, Jolonda started attending church in high school mainly to hang out with her peers. Her greatest spiritual breakthrough came, though, through impact from outside her peer group. Jill is a woman many years older than Jolonda, who gave Jolonda her first Bible and helped instill in her a deep appreciation for God’s word.

Jolonda now serves in a Massachusetts church with a broad swath of ages, striving to move beyond age stereotypes and to see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. She knows her generation can always appear busy and on their phones, but she acknowledges that she and her peers yearn for connection and the wisdom older generations can offer. She challenges those older and younger to deliberately go after those relationships … leading to learning and growth.

Our souls will be healthier and well when we come together … with our eyes fixed on Jesus!

After retiring from pastoral ministry several years ago, Gary and Charlotte were challenged by God to sell their home and then zigzagged across America on their own ‘Say Yes’ tour, serving many friends, family, and churches along the way.

Modeled so well by their parents, Gary and Charlotte have a love for Jesus and a passion to reach across generational lines. They love waking up each morning, asking the Lord to keep them others-centered and allowing the Lord to creatively guide them.

Charlotte reminds us that Jesus counts by one. They love seeing how God can use them to help lead people closer to Christ through individual friendships. 

Three years ago, they said ‘yes’ to a Japan missionary, needing them to fill in for a year. Their one-year adventure morphed into three-plus years. As they return home soon, their adventure continues. They have a special heart for retired pastors and want to underscore what God can do with their continued availability.

God wants our post-vocational lives to have purpose, all the way until He takes us home!

Assuming the senior adult pastor role in his mid-forties, Dan’s life has been enriched through his ‘acquired taste’ in serving alongside adults much older. He has learned much from seasoned and patient listeners … who then gain access to speak into the lives of others. 

Inspired by role models decades ahead, Dan and his wife Shani are special examples of younger leaders who see the intrinsic value of adults in life’s second half.

And as that second half chapter ends for some under his care, Dan sees more clearly how eternal life with Christ doesn’t start with death. It begins much earlier when we invite Christ into our lives. 

We’re already living in eternity!