One of the age-based ministries offered at Friendship United Methodist Church is the senior ministry.  This ministry includes a variety of programs for older members of the church and the surrounding community.  The most frequent program of this ministry is a senior luncheon held either at the church or a local restaurant.  Other activities include trips, guest speakers and more.  The Seniors Table in the Fellowship Hall offers a wealth of free information on local programs, resources, social security and Medicare matters and senior discounts.

Advance Care

The state of Maryland has passed a law that will allow you to decide future health care issues.  The important decisions about whether to prolong life for loved ones always places family members under tremendous stress.  While this may seem unpleasant information for you to read, it is very important.  It is also a way of helping your loved ones make difficult ethical decisions.  The same good and loving God who has created each of us also sustains us and wants us to move lovingly from this life to the next.  The Bible is filled with stories of God’s faithful people and the ethical decisions that they have made concerning their lives.  From Moses in the Old Testament to Jesus in the Gospels we read about their decisions concerning the final days of their lives.

Recent studies in our state indicate that the stress levels associated with end-of-life situations, particularly when there are no advance directives, are among the highest of any kind of personal crisis.  The “Living Will” form allows you to make health care decisions in the future if your health suddenly becomes terminal.  The “Appointment of a Health Care Agent” form allows you to choose someone to make your health care decisions if your health becomes vegetative or terminal. The “Health Care Instructions” form provides detailed instructions for your physician in case your health seriously deteriorates. These forms also allow you to indicate if you would like to be an organ and tissue donor.  While this information is particularly important for Seniors in our church, they also apply to all ages and families as well.

These forms are available from the Anne Arundel Medical Center Patient Advocacy Office, 2001 Medical Parkway, Annapolis, MD – 21401.  The phone number is 443-481-4820.  The internet address is www.aahs.org.  If you contact them, they will send you to appropriate packet of forms.