Filling Golden Years

with the Word of God
Senior's Pastor Steve Wagner makes the rounds in his Golden Years Ministry

Published in the Greenville News: Wednesday, August 9, 2006 

By Abe Hardesty
CITY PEOPLE WRITER

Senior's Pastor Steve Wagner leads residents of Greenville Place in a hymn as part of the Golden Years Ministry senior's outreach.
ALAN DEVORSEY / Staff Photographer

Cheney Tilman loves going to church again.

“I love it. It's been great seeing the mixing of Southerners and Northerners, and various backgrounds,” says Tilman. “For a lot of us, it fills a real void.”

Tilman, a retired teacher, was among those who treasured church activity as a significant part of life, but lost that when she first entered an assisted-living facility. But thanks to the Golden Years Ministry, Tilman and the 40 other residents at Sunrise Assisted Living can get to church each week just by going down the hall.

At the home’s activity room, Tilman says the environment and mood are remarkably similar to the church services she enjoyed most of her 80 years.

“Pastor Steve plays the music that sounds like a large choir, and when we get out our hymn books and sing along, it's just like being a part of a big, strong congregation,” says Tilman. “He’s so good at making it feel just like a real church service.”

For Pastor Steve Wagner, the emphasis is on real. His mission is to make church real for residents of four area nursing/assisted living facilities, and it is a project he takes seriously.

Pastor Wagner and his wife Myrtis, make the church experience rewarding because they make the service authentic. In addition to the music that is so familiar to many long-time church members, Pastor Wagner prints bulletins for the residents each week.

More impressive to Tilman is the fact that Pastor Wagner knows the residents' names – and in most cases, their greatest concerns.

Wagner, who turns 55 in September, establishes his trust by visiting residents in between the weekly services. At Sunrise, where full services are held Sunday mornings and a Bible study is held Wednesday evenings, the personal visits are made during different week days.

“I get to know them a lot better that way. It makes it more meaningful when we get together for the church service,” says Pastor Wagner, a Maryland native who has spent much of his adult life in missions, and who also has over ten years experience as a local church pastor. In December 2004, he began the senior's ministry in Greenville, where his two children and six grandchildren reside.

“I don’t want to just come in and sing and leave – I try to find out what the needs are,” says Pastor Wagner. “Just as in any other ministry, you can better minister to people if you know what their needs are.”

In addition to the Sunday and Wednesday services at Sunrise, Pastor Wagner leads three services on Friday of each week (two at Brighton Gardens and one at National Healthcare Center) and one on Wednesday mornings at Greenville Place.

One ingredient that is missing from the services is the offertory. Wagner’s only income is the support he gets from ten churches and a few individual supporters. Only one of those – Hampton Park Baptist on State Park Road – is a Greenville church. His other backing comes from a church in St. Matthews, S.C., and others in Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, and West Virginia.

Wagner, a missionary to pockets of Russian-speaking people in Brooklyn, NY, and the Atlanta, GA, area for most of his missionary career, says his church services in assisted-living centers differ from traditional services primarily in length. He limits his message to about 20 minutes and the entire service to about 45 minutes.

“You have to recognize that the attention span just isn’t the same. I try to keep the gospel message simple, and to the point,” says Wagner, who also performs funeral and memorial services. “Some (who attend services) are alert and really sharp; others are just there. Some have good days and bad days.”

Wagner, who left a teaching career and five years in the pastorate to enter the mission field in 1988, is continually surprised at the effect of traditional hymns on congregation members who might otherwise seem inattentive.

“I've seen them sitting without much emotion on their faces, and you might think they're not aware of things around them. Then we sing an old hymn, and they get into it. It’s remarkable to see the sudden change,” says Wagner.

Even when the positive responses aren’t in the majority, Wagner is often reminded that the work is worthwhile.

“I realize that most churches are not apt to support this kind of ministry – it’s just not as exciting as work in Africa or Asia; but the people are so appreciative that anyone would come and do anything for them. They can’t thank you enough. Many times, these people feel forgotten; we like to let them know that God hasn’t forgotten them.”

Pastor Wagner says he and his wife Myrtis get a blessing, even if the congregation doesn’t.

“It's been neat to see how God uses His Word to minister to their hearts’ needs. God gives encouragement and support, to them and to us,” says Wagner. “God has always provided our needs.” Pastor Wagner, who also has a Jewish missions outreach and a college outreach at Clemson University, says they would like to do more in their outreaches as the Lord provides.