The Ministry of Showing Up
Meaningful ministry isn't built in a single moment—it's built by showing up again and again. Discover how returning to serve seniors at Rosemont Health & Rehab is creating lasting relationships, restoring dignity, and reminding people they are seen, valued, and deeply loved.
LOCAL OUTREACHMINISTRY REFLECTIONS
Ginny Paynter
7/16/20263 min read
One of the things I continue to learn through outreach is that meaningful ministry is rarely built in a single moment. While anyone can organize an event, relationships are formed through consistency, and trust grows when people realize you didn't just come once—you came back. There is something profoundly powerful about becoming a familiar face, especially for those who spend much of their time feeling overlooked or alone.
Last month, our Untether Life team and volunteers returned to Rosemont Health and Rehab for our quarterly senior outreach, where we spent the afternoon enjoying bingo, sharing snacks, celebrating prize winners, and, most importantly, slowing down long enough to simply be with people. Our volunteers showed up ready to serve in all kinds of ways, whether that meant helping someone keep up with their bingo card, sharing conversations around the tables, praying with residents, or simply sitting beside someone who wanted a little company. Every prize on the table had been donated through the generosity of people, and every volunteer created an afternoon filled with laughter, encouragement, and connection.
What stays with me after each visit is what we hear as we're packing up to leave.
"Thank you for coming back."
When we return quarter after quarter, learning names, remembering conversations, and continuing relationships that have already begun, we communicate something much deeper than we probably realize. We remind our seniors that they are seen, valued, and worthy of our time, and sometimes that simple reminder is every bit as meaningful as the activities we planned.
As we talked with many of the residents during this visit, we asked what would bless them most in the months ahead. Their answer was simple. Christmas gifts.
So that has become our goal.
Between now and December, we hope to provide every senior we serve with a thoughtful Christmas gift that reminds them they have not been forgotten. Before we get there, however, we'll return on September 19 for our fall outreach, where we'll spend the afternoon creating a fall-themed craft, enjoying snacks (because food is people glue), and continuing to build the relationships that have become such a meaningful part of this ministry.
If you've been looking for a place to serve, I would love to invite you to join us. We are currently collecting craft supplies, snacks, prizes, and volunteers for our September outreach, and there is room for everyone to participate. You don't have to know exactly what to say or have any special qualifications. You have to be willing to show up with a heart that is ready to love people well.
As we continue praying about the future of Untether Life, we are asking the Lord to expand these outreaches into every-other-month gatherings at Rosemont while opening the door for a senior feeding program at another care facility in 2027. We know those opportunities will require more volunteers, greater resources, and faithful partners, but we've also seen how God has consistently multiplied the simple offerings of people who are willing to step forward.
One of the central themes in my book, Hey Somebody!, is the reminder that changing our communities rarely begins with extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. More often, it begins with ordinary people choosing to faithfully love the person right in front of them. That has certainly been true at Rosemont, where a bingo card, a shared laugh, and an afternoon together have become opportunities to remind someone they are deeply loved.
If you've ever wondered whether one person can really make a difference, let this be your encouragement. You don't have to change the whole world. You simply have to be willing to change someone's world.
After all, you are the Somebody who helps create the kind of community we all long to experience.
Email: partnership@untetherlife.org
Phone: (757) 289-9930
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Untether Life is a 501c3 based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. We are a collective of people with like-minded hearts who want to see the gospel advance through the loving of our neighbor.