Finding meaning and purpose: Opportunities for spiritual wellness

Distributing nourishment for body and soul

It’s been a busy summer for Grace Ridge residents who volunteer at The Outreach Center in Morganton. Residents volunteer each month to distribute food to seniors in need. What made this summer’s distribution even more welcome were the large-print Bibles given to folks who requested them.

Thanks to a generous California benefactor, an order was placed in January for the giant print edition of The New Testament with Psalms. But the backlog was so great it took months for the books to arrive. According to Grace Ridge resident Gray Riddick, it’d been so long that some seniors had forgotten they’d ordered a Bible. The residents, however, never lost faith. When the books finally arrived in July, their prayers were answered.

More than 60 large-print Bibles were distributed at The Outreach Center. That left 18 seniors who had requested a Bible who either couldn’t get to the center or missed the last Distribution Day of the summer. That’s when Gray and Betty Riddick volunteered to deliver the books themselves. “We like the ministry and felt badly that we hadn’t been able to participate in the food distribution due to health concerns,” said Gray. “We took the names and addresses, put ‘em into Waze, and started making deliveries.”

Overall, everyone was pleased to have a large-print New Testament Bible at no cost. “It’s not something they could afford themselves,” said Gray. When asked if he’d do it again, Gray replied: “In a heartbeat! I think it was encouraging enough to a lot of us that we would certainly look to that kind of opportunity again — to reach out beyond our campus.”

Exploring religious beliefs around the world

Grace Ridge residents have been expanding their knowledge of the world’s religions, thanks to a class taught by Reverend Renee Lewis. The eight-week course covers the world’s major religions, providing insight into why people believe and act the way they do in different parts of the world.

“Grace Ridge residents know about Christianity,” says Life Enrichment Director Kelli Huggins, “so learning about other religions has been interesting.”

Finding common ground and avoiding religious intolerance is one outcome of the class. After all, the better we understand other religions, the easier it is to see similarities, understand differences, and move towards a more peaceful and charitable world.

This summer’s World Religion Class ends on September 1. However, a second class is scheduled to start early in 2024. Classes are held in-person and can also be viewed on Touchtown, our in-house TV channel.

Grace Ridge Hosts Bible Study Fellowship

Starting in mid-September, Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) classes will be held on campus at Grace Ridge. Classes are free and open to both residents and non-residents.

Until recently, Morganton seniors have had to drive to Hickory to attend BSF group meetings. Now BSF has found a home closer to home at Grace Ridge.

Classes will be held on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. and meet weekly until May 2024. Study groups will be focusing on the Book of John. To learn more about BSF or to enroll in the class, visit bsfinternational.org.