Volunteers-Focused Research Project Underway

Bishop Lawson Bryan, an RFA board member, and John Bell, a volunteer with FUMC-Montgomery’s Respite Ministry, have been conducting a research project on how volunteers grow in discipleship through their participation in Respite Ministry. To do so, they led several long-time volunteers in the Montgomery ministry through a weekly study of Bishop Ken Carder’s book, Ministry with the Forgotten, and asked about the impact serving as a volunteer has had on them. Among the takeaways, as volunteers used words like patience, love, joy, etc. to describe their experiences, Lawson and John couldn’t help but recognize that these are essentially the “Fruits of the Spirit” from Galatians 5. They are currently finalizing their findings and will present them during the Festival of Wisdom and Grace, which will be held August 19-22 at Lake Junaluska, NC.

The Growing RFA Network

The Respite for All model of care for individuals living with dementia continues to grow and spread! Along with the 37 active communities in our network, additional new communities are coming along in New Bern, NC; Pensacola, FL; Eau Claire, WI; Box Springs, GA; Middletown, DE; Madisonville, KY; and Jefferson City, TN. New communities are also making progress in Savannah, GA; Paris, TN; Nellysford, VA; Seattle, WA; Viroqua, WI; and Denver, CO! We’re excited that the life-affirming impact of respite ministry is spreading far and wide, thanks to local teams that are catching the vision, learning the concepts and launching the ministries. 

New RFA Video Released

This spring, a film crew visited Respite Ministries in Dothan and Birmingham, and together with footage from Montgomery, created a new Respite for All video for our website and speaking opportunities. Take five minutes to watch the excitement and joy taking place in RFA ministries: RFA Video

Make Plans to Join Us on October 22 for the 3rd Annual Brain Science Luncheon!

Our featured speaker is Dan Buettner, Jr., Blue Zones Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, who will be here to tell us about the long-term benefits a Blue Zones life can help you achieve. Blue Zones is the subject of a hit Netflix series and has been featured in numerous national publications. 

Visit our webpage for details.

The mission of the Respite for All Foundation is to inspire, grow, and mentor Respite Volunteer Ministries for communities seeking to minister to persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia disorders through education and shared best practices. Visit RespiteforAll.org to learn more.