A few years after she retired as communications officer of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, Marjorie George enrolled in Forest Dwelling, a two-year program at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio that focused on spirituality for older adults. Coursework was based on the recognition that churches have programs designed for children, teenagers, and adults, but nothing for seniors facing the last stages of their lives.
“This was something our congregations could use,” she decided.
She put together a workshop on spiritual formation focused on older adults and presented it at the West Texas Diocesan Council in February 2020. The session drew 150 people representing about half of the congregations attending the council. George planned to take the workshop around the region after the council ended, to show parishes what they could implement.
Then COVID-19 struck and all in-person gatherings stopped — workshops included.
“So a small group of us decided to have an online workshop by Zoom,” she said. “We didn’t know if older adults would use Zoom, but it turns out many like using Zoom. They are not going to drive to church for Bible study on Wednesday night, but they can meet in the daytime, which is what we do.”
In a follow-up survey to the initial online workshop, participants found the most valuable component of the study was the companionship and community it offered while they were separated from their churches, friends, and families during the pandemic.
From the first trials by Zoom, the meetings “just kind of evolved” into Wisdom Years, an online ministry of the Diocese of West Texas dedicated to the spiritual formation of those in the last third of their life.
“We found out that there is a great need among older adults for community,” George said. “We have built that with the Wisdom Years.”
Carla Pineda, manager of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church bookstore in San Antonio, assists George with multiple leadership duties. As the bookstore manager, Pineda and a small advisory council are instrumental in selecting the books. Pineda helps participants obtain them, and the bookstore devotes a page on its website to the selected books, as well as others pertinent to this age group.
Wisdom Years offers a four- to five-week study of four books a year and attracts about 25 participants for each study. The facilitators choose small books with short chapters “that are relevant to our age group,” George said.
The ministry is free, but participants are encouraged to purchase and read the books.
Before each study, George distributes an email with her commentary on the chapter the group is studying. “The email includes questions for reflection and sometimes an additional article or essay from another source,” as well as prompts for subsequent conversations.
During the book studies, participants gather online each week. They have a conversation with the full group and then break into small groups of three to four for about 20 minutes.
“One of the things that is so important to participants is the community,” George said. “They really like the small groups.”
“I learn new ways of seeing something and gain new insights” from group discussions, George said.
“We always begin a session with the question: ‘What resonated with you in this chapter? What is one takeaway for you?’ We are not ‘teaching’ them.
“We are holding space for them to learn from each other,” George said. “We are trusting that the Holy Spirit will work in their lives. We won’t all hear the same thing. We don’t strive to come to consensus about the book. We let each of us hear what we need to hear.”
The group’s first book study in September 2000 was based on The Gift of Years by Benedictine sister Joan Chittister. Among the other books they’ve studied are Crones Don’t Whine by Jean Shinoda Bolen; The Desert Mothers by the Rev. Mary Earle; The Star in My Heart by Joyce Rupp; and The Soul of a Pilgrim by Christine Valters Paintner.
George’s journey that eventually led to Wisdom Years began during her 20-year career in the diocese’s communications office. Among her many duties, she started Reflections magazine, which featured articles on spiritual formation. In her last year with the diocese, she enrolled in a new program at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin and earned a master’s degree in spiritual formation in 2013.
“I found I was having a growing interest in spiritual formation,” she said. The interest led her to enroll in the Forest Dwelling curriculum and eventually organize the Zoom meetings for older adults.
George said there are no minimum age requirements to participate in Wisdom Years, but participants are generally retired and “many of us are in our 70s and 80s. We welcome people of any age, but we specifically choose material that speaks to older adults.”
Spirituality isn’t necessarily more important to older adults than others, but “it is different,” George said. “For one thing, we have more time. We aren’t working and raising children. We can sit with a good book. We can spend more time talking to God. Life is not about accomplishing or trying to get ahead. What used to be important kind of falls away.”
“There is a lot of taking stock that occurs in our later years,” she told TLC. “How do we deal with regrets? What about the fact that we no longer can do things we used to be able to do, like work in the yard for several hours? We are lonely. Friends and spouses are dying. So there is a great need for community. Wisdom Years provides that, even online.”
Although most of the book studies are held on Zoom, Wisdom Years conducted a hybrid workshop in July 2023, simultaneously utilizing an in-person gathering and Zoom. It also hosted a quiet day on at the Bishop Jones Center on the campus of the Diocese of West Texas in November 2023, as well as hosting an Advent study series in December 2023.
Although the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas provides about $4,000 a year for Wisdom Years, the ministry isn’t denomination-specific. “The bishops support our work and the diocesan communications department has helped with promotion and the hybrid workshop,” George said.
“But it is not just for Episcopalians. We don’t even ask what church you go to. We have several denominations in our community. Our participants come from across the diocese and outside the diocese and outside the Episcopal Church. They are from several states.”
One member of the advisory council is an active Roman Catholic in Oklahoma City.
In addition to book studies, Wisdom Years posts a weekly vetted collection of articles, essays, poems, videos, and podcasts that are of interest to older adults. The collection is distributed to the ministry’s 237 subscribers.
During particular seasons of the year, such as Lent, Advent, and Epiphany, Wisdom Years sends a short text message to subscribers each day.
All Wisdom Years book studies remain on its website and are available for use by small groups or Sunday school classes.
“I would like to see more congregations aware of spirituality of older adults. For most congregations, ministry to older adults means a monthly luncheon with a speaker, with little discussion of their spiritual lives,” George said.
To learn more about Wisdom Years, visit its website at wisdomyears.org or write to George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.
