Feeding the Wise Elderly :)

[Gregory Matthews]

The following is taken from the 112/15/2017  issue of The Rocky Mountain Conference News Nuggets:

Wiser Generation Banquet Held Boulder Adventist Church   »  For the second year in a row, Boulder Adventist Church held a “Wiser Generation Banquet” to honor those over the age of 55 in our church and local community. Thirty- nine guests attended this year on December 10, including both church members and local friends from the Mapleton Hill neighborhood where the church is located. Pastor Japhet De Oliveira and his wife, Becky, used to hold a similar holiday banquet when they were the youth leaders at Newbold College Church in England. “It was a lot of fun,” Becky recalls. “I would cook all the food myself—with the help of a dozen or so teenagers who also acted as waiters. The intergenerational bonds it created were fantastic!” Pastor Japhet observes that “There is such a great emphasis on young people anymore. I think it’s nice to pay some attention to those who are no longer ‘spring chickens,’ but who nevertheless do so much to keep everything going. They are amazing!”
   The Boulder Church Wiser Generation Banquet has not yet incorporated the local youth as chefs or servers—although that might change in future years. Food and service for the past two banquets have been provided by noted Boulder catering service Spice of Life. Pastor Japhet brings Christmas crackers and English sweets back from his annual pre-holiday visit to his parents, and Becky opens the party with what she calls a “speech.” Many of the participants refer to it as “a stand up comedy act.” Very little entertainment is needed—everyone is delighted to chat around the tables with old friends and new acquaintances—but Boulder Chamber Orchestra, which performs several concerts each year at the church, offers a quartet of musicians to provide thirty minutes of beautiful music. No one seems to object!
   Keith McLachlan  says, “I love the way a very busy church schedule takes time to make the older generation feel special. Everything was very carefully planned for a fun evening. Thank you very much!” Becky Carlisle said, “Such a lovely evening. Elegant, delicious food and wonderful entertainment. A beautiful Christmas gift.” Rebecca Trafton added, “For me it was the first Christmas party of the season and it captured the very best of the holiday season for me—friends new and old, music, good food, holiday decorations, a bit of nonsense and a lot of fairy glitter, and some words wry and wise, some thoughts deep and provocative.”
[Text and photo by Becky De Oliveira]