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Churches, lend an ear to your older folks
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Editor

 

On behalf of the older kids:

Seniors, or older people, don’t ask for a lot. We try to get along, accepting lower paying and often demeaning jobs enabling us to have a little extra income which is probably needed for medicine or insurance.

There is one complaint that our churches need to hear. You are, with good intentions, depriving older people of singing and worshipping through hymns. You are also depriving our young people of learning good gospel songs which have deep spiritual truths. We were capable as children and young people of learning these, as were our fathers and forefathers. Our young people today are especially capable.

We are happy to learn a few of their choruses, but why must the church programs inflict this "popular music" on us and either delete or jazz up our hymns? This is simply unacceptable. After we have passed as a generation, today’s youth will not know any hymns that have deep spiritual truths. That old time religion was good for our father and it’s good enough for me. I decided to write this letter after visiting a church and sitting beside a very sweet senior citizen whose name I do not know. As the choruses rang over and over and over, repeating the same lines, she whispered to me, "Do you know these songs?" I replied that I did not and really preferred hymns in the book. She said, "We all do and we have told them and told them but they won’t listen to us. I guess we will never win."

I thought what a pathetic circumstance this was when this dear lady faithfully attended church, gave her offering and yet was deprived of singing praises in her own way and worshipping.

Chuck Swendall, noted pastor and author, says "It’s alright to sing some new songs but never leave your old songs and hymns. They bind you to your heritage."

Churches, please lend an ear and listen to your older folk. Please adjust your services as you meet the needs of younger and older people. I’m not sure that all of this music is pleasing in heaven.

Sarah Lane

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