What a gift it was to host Rev. Dr. Thomas Elliott, who is not only a gifted songwriter and musician but also a cherished member and teacher of the United Methodist community.

We are working on several Senior Adult Ministry events for the new year. I will share some of these dates with in the near future. *Please note: The outing to the Atlanta History Center will be on Wednesday, November 6 instead of Tuesday in observance of Election Day. Go VOTE!

Friends, I encourage you to check out this event, November 1st at 10 am in the Fellowship Hall (location subject to change depending on number of people who register). Mark is a former hospice chaplain and has been conducting Death Cafes around Atlanta for several years. Some of you may have even attended one! This promises to be a meaningful time of sharing our thoughts, ideas, fears, beliefs, and anything else you can think of regarding matters of death and dying for people of all ages and stages. If you feel uncomfortable talking about death and dying or this stirs negative connotations, I promise this is for you! Please visit https://deathcafe.com/what/ if you would like more information about what a Death Cafe is. There is no cost, but please register so we know how to prepare the room. There will be cake and coffee!!

**Please make sure you see the section below where I have included a number of resources related to preparing ourselves for dying.**

We hope you will join us for our last outing of the year! If you haven't been to the Atlanta History Center before, it is such a treasure! Please visit the website at www.atlantahistorycenter.com if you would like more information about the History Center and the exhibits. The outdoor grounds should be beautiful in fall color when we visit! We will meet in the back parking lot of the church at 9:45 am to depart by 10:15am, and return to the church by 4pm. Bus transportation will be available with limited space. You are also free to drive yourself. Parking at the center is free. You are invited to enjoy lunch at Souper Jenny located inside the museum, or you may bring your own lunch if you prefer. More information about the food offerings can be found at www.atlantahistorycenter.com/buildings-and-grounds/food-and-coffee/, including the daily menu for Souper Jenny. The discounted group ticket price is $24/person. If you are a member of the history center, there is no cost (as indicated in the registration), but please be prepared to show proof of membership at the door. We need at least 10 people to join in order to get the discounted ticket price, so please invite a friend! If we meet this minimum number of 10 people for the group rate, we will also book a curated tour, compliments of the Senior Adult Ministry!

***Please register by 6pm on Monday, November 4.***

Imagine you know you are going on a trip sometime in the future. You know you are going to go somewhere, but you don't know when. The day of departure arrives, and you haven’t the first clue of where you are going, how you will get there, how you will pay for it, or who will care for your house and pets while you are away. During our lifetimes, we prepare for all kinds of things—career, buying a house, weddings, having children, retirement, and of course vacations! Yet somehow, even though Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John that he would go and prepare a place for us, we avoid preparing the way for our own deaths! In the famous words of Benjamin Franklin, “… nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” In the spirit of the upcoming All Saints Sunday and Death Café on All Saints Day, I thought I would share some books, podcasts, and other resources on matters of living and dying well.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. There are so many resources available, I could never include them all! I selected things that I have seen repeatedly recommended by sources I know and trust. Clicking on the images of the books and logos will take you to a link with more information. I linked the books to Bookshop.org in case you are interested in purchasing any of the books. You could also ask a local bookstore, such as Tall Tales, to order any of them for you.

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson – This book inspired a series on Peacock by the same title. It’s funny, heartfelt, and irreverent. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and maybe be offended! (Consider yourself warned!) 

Palliative care vs. Hospice. This website has a nice side-by-side comparison. People tend to think of these two types of care as synonymous. They are not, in fact, the same thing. 

Podcasts

On Being with Krista Tippett: On Being Mortal, Atul Gawande

Everything Happens with Kate Bowler: Living with the End in Mind, Kathryn Mannix

Books

Think about the last time you had a casual conversation with your loved ones about your favorite scripture or hymn. Can’t remember? Me neither. We don’t usually talk about these things in our everyday lives. Planning ahead can be thought of as a post-mortem act of service or love toward your eventual survivors. The good news is there are SO MANY resources for end-of-life planning, which is so much easier to do when the end is NOT near. Here are just a few, but if none of these resonate with you, a simple Google search will yield a wealth of resources. Most funeral homes will have resources on their websites you can download for free or you can call them and they’ll send you materials. Fun fact: I had an assignment in nursing school to plan my own funeral. I went to a funeral home and they walked me through everything. I was 20 years old! Funeral directors will be thrilled you are planning ahead! It makes their, and everyone else’s, job so much easier in the long run. If your wishes include Oak Grove UMC, you can give a copy of your funeral wishes to one of our pastors and we can keep it on file for you. This is one post-mortem act of service Also, and I can’t stress this enough, once a year, have someone, ANYONE, take a decent photo of you.

Planners

Did you know that OGUMC provides these supportive resources for people grieving the loss of a loved one and people caring for their aging relatives? The groups are facilitated by Elizabeth Valera with Lifespan Counseling. There is no cost to you for attending. If you think you might find either of these groups helpful, please check them out! No registration required. Just show up!

Oak Grove's vision is to build inclusive, life-changing communities and experience transformation in Jesus Christ. In order to do this, OGUMC will CONNECT with each other, GROW in our faith, and LIVE out our faith.