February 24, 1999
Buckner chaplains help
elderly deal with isolation
___By Russell Rankin
___Buckner News Service
___AUSTIN--Both Arnie Petersen and James Roberts have been journeymen during their lifetimes of ministry, but now as chaplains for Buckner ElderCare Services, the two men are helping senior adults make the journey into older adulthood a little easier.
___Buckner ElderCare is theculmination of "the Lord moving me around a lot," said Roberts, who now serves as chaplain for ElderCare in Austin.
BUCKNER ELDERCARE Chaplain James Roberts visits with Florine Florell, a resident at Buckner Villas Retirement Community in Austin.
___A native of Garland, Roberts has served as pastor or staff member with churches all over Texas, including Buckner Terrace Baptist Church in Dallas, Park View Baptist in San Saba, First Baptist of Brownfield, Vista del Sol Baptist in El Paso and most recently Gateway Baptist in Corpus Christi.
___"All the churches I've been in over the years have each had unique and strong senior adult ministries," Roberts said. "In El Paso, we were close to a nursing home. That's an automatic ministry opportunity. And at Buckner Terrace, we had quite a few retirees from the Buckner Retirement Village, so relating to seniors is something that has always been a part of my ministry."
___In Houston, Buckner ElderCare Services has become a place for Petersen to continue his long ministry to senior adults as well.
___A Minnesota native, Peterson was working as a mechanical engineer at 3M in Minneapolis when he got into the ministry. With a love for music and a passion for evangelism, he became a music minister. He served as an associate pastor and minister in Baptist churches in South Carolina and Texas when he found out about Buckner's need for a chaplain in Houston.
___"I have always enjoyed older adults," Petersen said. "Even when I was young, I loved sitting around with the older folk spinning yarns about any and everything under the sun. And just about every church I went to, I nearly always ended up taking over the senior adult class."
___Petersen had heard about Buckner but "never dreamed I would work for them." After seeing the construction of Parkway Place Retirement Community in Houston, Petersen's daughter-in-law urged him to apply for the chaplain's position.
___"It's a wonderful ministry, especially as the line between me and them is blurring," he laughed. "It's so much a joy."
___Petersen said he makes it a point to meet and get to know new residents as soon as they move into Parkway Place.
___"Every day, I try to greet every person and speak with them. They need to know me as a friend, so when we have a home-going (Petersen's gentle way of referring to a death) the residents and their families know me and trust me."
___Petersen sees his ministry to residents at Parkway Place also including their families, and he relishes the opportunity to be a minister to the entire family.
___Meeting monthly with area pastors has provided Petersen with resources and relationships he passes on to senior adults at Buckner as well.
___"Currently, we have about 30 pastors in the area who have responded to invitations to minister to our residents," Petersen said.
___Continuing his love for music, Petersen also leads music during services at Parkway Place, "something that personally makes me complete," he said.
___Both Petersen and Roberts also relish opportunities to bring their chaplaincy services to senior adults in the surrounding communities.
___Buckner ElderCare Services --which offers in-home services to senior adults such as assistance with chores and shopping as well as consultations and friendship--also is designed to meet spiritual needs, said Director Sandy Abernathy.
___"Too often, senior adults don't reach out for a helping hand," Abernathy said. "When they reach a point in their lives when those once-familiar tasks and daily chores become too difficult, isolation can occur if there is not someone there to help them.
___"While ElderCare has resources to meet the physical needs, the chaplaincy facet is available to meet their spiritual needs, which may be suffering due to the depression and loneliness the senior adult may be feeling because of their isolation," she said.
___The precipitator that gave Roberts a sincere desire to minister to seniors was an article he read stating that by the year 2025, one out of every five Americans will be 65 years old or older.
___"The Lord used that statistic to help me realize the enormity of the need. And I see now, through ElderCare, so many ways to help the church do more for senior adults," Roberts said. "Many seniors living in residential facilities, many of whom have moved to new, unfamiliar cities to be closer to family, have lost contact with their churches. We need to bring church to them, whatever their denomination."
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