--- title: The forgotten ones? Why care home ministry matters date: 2026-09-28T09:00:00+01:00 author: Reuben Grace canonical_url: "https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/the-forgotten-ones-why-care-home-ministry-matters" section: Articles --- Share [ ](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=1769260916495219&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-forgotten-ones-why-care-home-ministry-matters) [ ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20forgotten%20ones%3F%20Why%20care%20home%20ministry%20matters&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-forgotten-ones-why-care-home-ministry-matters) [ ](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/send?app_id=1769260916495219&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-forgotten-ones-why-care-home-ministry-matters&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-forgotten-ones-why-care-home-ministry-matters&display=popup) [ ](mailto:?subject=Shared%20from%20Evangelical%20Alliance&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-forgotten-ones-why-care-home-ministry-matters) Copy link to this article Share this article The forgotten ones? Why care home ministry matters 4 min read Contents Share [ ](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=1769260916495219&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-forgotten-ones-why-care-home-ministry-matters) [ ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20forgotten%20ones%3F%20Why%20care%20home%20ministry%20matters&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-forgotten-ones-why-care-home-ministry-matters) [ ](mailto:?subject=Shared%20from%20Evangelical%20Alliance&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-forgotten-ones-why-care-home-ministry-matters) Copy link to this article Share this article Back to top In this article #### It is easy to let life and ministry run away with you. Making connections with a local care home may feel like another job that you just can’t manage, especially as you may be putting time into people who may never visit the church or seem like they have much to offer; but that kind of thinking is not the way of Jesus, who loved without expecting anything in return. So why should you consider care home ministry, and what could it look like? We live in a nation where old people largely live alone until they can’t manage anymore and then are wheeled into care homes, where they are often forgotten by the community. Some may enter a care home and only live for a few months, with very few visitors before they die. If we, as pastors and churches, do not visit care homes, we are depriving older people of fellowship and the power of the gospel. At Ark Church in York, I have witnessed the powerful impact connecting with local care homes can have. I run a regular service in our local care home once a month, as well as special services for occasions such as Remembrance Day, Harvest Festival, Christmas and Easter. Sponsored[](#) [ ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ](https://lst.ac.uk/life-long-learning/) ### Powerful encounters One weekend I was praying over my choice of message and felt drawn to Psalm 23 in The Message. A lady, let’s call her Sarah, came up to me and asked which translation I had been using and I told her. A month later, she told me how she had been so enthused with The Message that she couldn’t put it down; she said Jesus had spoken to her through it. I was greatly encouraged that she had a real spark of life about her. Every time I went in, she would encourage other people to talk to me and to attend services. We became friends. Four years later, she died and her son asked me to conduct the funeral, which I did. I spoke enthusiastically about her long walk with Jesus and afterwards her son (who was a Baptist minister from another part of the UK) told me that I had got it wrong about her. The week she arrived in the care home she was a hardened atheist. Her son had offered her a Bible but she had rejected it. A week later she rang him and asked that he buy her a Message Bible. When he delivered it to her, he found he had a new mum; she had been born again! So, at her wake, I realised that she had in fact received Christ in her first week at the care home. > At her wake, I realised that she had in fact received Christ in her first week at the care home.” Residents, and sometimes their families, have become part of my wider congregation because they find Jesus towards the end of their lives. One of the most moving moments I have had so far was a guy, let’s call him Mike, who was in the secure unit (usually this is for people who have advanced dementia). For our services, we have a small repertoire of songs from yesteryear, because my hope is that the residents might recognise them. Normally one member of staff will stay with us, in case there is a ​‘disturbance’ among the residents. So, our group were at the front with a guitar, and I introduced ​‘And can it be that I should gain’. Mike, who had been sitting sprawled in a chair, completely unengaged with the service, suddenly stood bolt upright and sang the whole hymn, word perfect and in tune. The member of staff ran around the building, getting as many staff as she could, and we just kept singing. When we finished the service, I noticed a tear running down Mike’s face. The staff member came up to me and asked, ​“Do you realise what just happened?” Apparently, in the 18 months that Mike had been in the care home, he had not verbally interacted with anyone. She wanted as many witnesses as she could because she was convinced that no one would believe her. I believe God met with Mike that day. There was no record in his notes about any religious past, but I think that his last weeks were Christian ones. If you are thinking about starting or revitalising a ministry in a local care home, there are lots of resources and people who can help, including[ Attend](https://www.attend.org.uk/), a national charity I am involved in which supports volunteering in care homes, hospitals and social care settings. I know that there is a lot to do in life and ministry, but care homes are a big pond to fish in. Who knows, you might be able to introduce the living Christ to someone who is feeling forgotten this week. [ ![An ageing population – problem or opportunity?](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![Maria Care Home Befriender NB only to be used with Embracing Age content](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=90,width=400,fit=cover/https://cdn.eauk.org/Maria-Care-Home-Befriender-NB-only-to-be-used-with-Embracing-Age-content.jpg) ](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/an-ageing-population-problem-or-opportunity) [#### An ageing population – problem or opportunity? ](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/an-ageing-population-problem-or-opportunity) For the International Day of Older People, Paul Crowther from Embracing Age explores how we support older people – and encourage them to develop their gifts [ ![Paul Crowther](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ](/author/paul-crowther) [ Paul Crowther ](/author/paul-crowther) 29 September 2025 [](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/an-ageing-population-problem-or-opportunity) [ ![Could your church adopt a care home?](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![Eduardo barrios P5c4cg Jgg3g unsplash](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=90,width=400,fit=cover/https://cdn.eauk.org/eduardo-barrios-P5c4cgJgg3g-unsplash_2022-09-27-154108_rpsv.jpg) ](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/adopt-a-care-home) [#### Could your church adopt a care home? ](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/adopt-a-care-home) There are 12,500 care homes in the UK – and 50,000 churches who can make a difference for elderly residents [ ![Tina English](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ](/author/tina-english) [ Tina English ](/author/tina-english) 30 September 2022 [](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/adopt-a-care-home) Your reading Count on · turn off 0 You’ve read 0 articles in the last year. Behind what you’re reading is a movement of churches, organisations and individuals standing together. Join us and add your voice to the church being heard where it matters most. [Become a member](/membership/become-a-member/individuals/join-us) Privacy settings *›* Your article count is off. Nothing is being recorded on this device. Turn it back on --- ### About Stephen Redman ![]()Stephen Redman MBE pastors the Ark Church in York, supports the friends’ association of a local care home and is chair of trustees for Attend. [See more from Stephen Redman](/author/stephen-redman) ## Read next [ All news & views ](/news-and-views) - [ ![Is this revival in the UK? Not yet, but it is spiritual springtime](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27640%27%20height%3D%27360%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![Is this revival in the UK? 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