At The Gathering Place in Central New York, Pete and Becky Auyer are helping their congregation move from individual acts of care to a coordinated, sustainable ministry for older adults—with support from ENCORE Ministry Foundation’s Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate program.
For Pete and Becky Auyer, ministry with older adults grew out of both professional experience and a sense of calling.
The couple, who serve as deacons at The Gathering Place, a non-denominational church in Central New York, had spent years working with older adults and their families. Becky previously owned a care management company, while Pete handled operations for the business. Through that work, they saw firsthand the complex challenges that can accompany aging—and they also recognized that many people who needed assistance could not afford professional care management services.
They began asking how the church might help fill some of those gaps.
“We always thought the church was such an important role in helping to provide care needs,” Pete explained during a recent interview with CertainAge.org. After the business was sold, that question increasingly became a calling to put their experience to work within their congregation.
We always thought the church was such an important role in helping to provide care needs.
Recognizing a Growing Need
The Gathering Place is a large congregation, with approximately 700 people attending worship on a typical Sunday. Becky and Pete estimate that 40 to 45 percent of the congregation is age 50 or older.
As relatively new members themselves, the Auyers began observing how the congregation responded when older adults experienced illness, surgery, dementia, loneliness, isolation or other challenges.
Care was certainly happening. Nurses within the congregation were responding when called upon. Pastors were fielding requests. Individuals were helping one another.
But there was not yet a coordinated system for bringing those efforts together.
That observation became the foundation for SeniorCare Ministry, which formally began in 2025.
The ministry is designed to provide a coordinated response to both short- and long-term needs among older adults. Its approach includes assessing needs, connecting individuals with church and community resources, coordinating volunteers and maintaining ongoing relationships with participants and their families.
Today, the structure includes two care coordinators, six care navigators and approximately 80 volunteer “servant ministers” who have offered to assist with needs ranging from transportation and meals to household care and visitation.
Building Something That Can Last
Pete and Becky quickly learned that developing a sustainable ministry required more than identifying needs.
One of their first challenges was earning the trust of church leadership. Because they were relatively new to the congregation, they intentionally took time to build relationships, develop a plan and seek formal approval rather than simply launching a new program on their own.
That process took patience, but Pete believes it strengthened the ministry.
They also had to determine how SeniorCare Ministry would fit alongside programs that already existed within the congregation. The church already offered ministries addressing grief, senior fellowship and other needs, so the goal was not to duplicate those efforts but to connect them.
Organization became essential.
“How can we respond efficiently without burning out volunteers?” was one of the questions Pete said they had to consider while developing the ministry. They also considered how to communicate effectively with church leadership and demonstrate the need for future resources and financial support.
The result is a model that brings together church ministries, trained volunteers and outside community resources to provide more holistic support.
Finding ENCORE at the Right Time
As SeniorCare Ministry was taking shape, Pete and Becky connected with ENCORE Ministry Foundation’s Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate program.
The timing proved significant.
The Auyers had already begun developing their ministry plan when they entered the program. Rather than requiring them to start over, the Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate process helped affirm what they were doing while giving them additional tools for strengthening it.
“What it did is it affirmed, but it also offered even more resources for us to present to the leadership,” Pete said.
What it did is it affirmed, but it also offered even more resources for us to present to the leadership.
For Becky, one of the most valuable aspects of the process was the ministry perspective it added to their professional experience.
Their previous care management work had given them a strong operational foundation. The Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate program helped them think more intentionally about what makes congregational care different.
“The spiritual component versus our business model was huge to what we wanted to do as a ministry,” she said.
The program’s modules also provided practical guidance on recruiting and retaining volunteers, developing sustainable ministry practices and addressing other aspects of congregational life that affect older adults. Becky described the program as adding significantly to what they were already building.
The spiritual component versus our business model was huge to what we wanted to do as a ministry.
Learning Alongside Other Congregations
The Auyers also participated in ENCORE’s cohort conversations, where they were able to hear from other congregations engaged in ministry with older adults.
That exchange was especially helpful because Pete and Becky had intentionally sought examples from other churches rather than assuming they needed to develop every solution themselves.
The cohorts allowed them to hear how congregations in different settings were approaching similar challenges and opportunities. Pete said that opportunity was valuable because they had long wanted to learn what other churches were doing.
“We have never wanted to reinvent the wheel,” Becky said. Through ENCORE, they found not only other congregations engaged in creative ministry, but also established resources, data and approaches they could consider adapting for The Gathering Place.
One example was accessibility. With Becky’s background as a physical therapist, the program material prompted additional consideration of whether the congregation’s physical environment adequately supports the safety and needs of older adults.
We have never wanted to reinvent the wheel.
From Certificate Participants to a More Age-Friendly Congregation
For Pete and Becky, participating in the Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate program was an intentional step in strengthening their ministry.
They were developing a new ministry while still relatively new themselves to The Gathering Place, and the program provided a way to learn, build credibility and introduce age-friendly ministry concepts within the congregation.
Now they are thinking about what might come next.
Pete and Becky are praying about how The Gathering Place can continue building on what they have learned and move more fully toward becoming an age-friendly congregation.
Today, their vision is expanding beyond one ministry. They see the principles they have encountered through ENCORE as potentially shaping the congregation’s broader approach to older adults—from accessibility and caregiving to fellowship, spiritual growth and meaningful opportunities for service.
“We’re very hopeful,” Becky said.
SeniorCare Ministry is still growing. The congregation has been gathering information from adults age 50 and older, plans to offer educational programs on topics relevant to aging, and is exploring additional ways to engage older adults across different stages of life.
For the Auyers, however, the goal remains larger than building a successful program.
It is about creating a congregation increasingly prepared to recognize older adults, respond to their changing needs and make certain they remain connected to the life and ministry of the church.
And through ENCORE Ministry Foundation’s Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate program, they have found a framework—and a community of other congregations—to help them continue that work.