Pouring Out

Ministry Brings God’s Glory to Seniors

A Gone with the Wind poster hung in the corner as a group of senior citizens sat in the theatre room of their retirement community. But they didn’t show up to see Hollywood stars on the silver screen. They sat with bread and grape juice in hand, ready to take communion.  

“We thank you that you work in us to will and do of your good pleasure, in Jesus’ name,” said Kristie McCaleb, founder of the Senior Campus Ministry. “So, let’s go ahead and take of the body and take of the blood.”

The Senior Campus Ministry is an outreach of Life Church that holds church services every Sunday in senior communities around the Treasure Valley. For those seniors who can’t drive or make it out to church anymore, it’s an opportunity for them to hear the Word of God and come together as a community of believers. 

“It’s more than just an opportunity to worship our Lord, but to enjoy people and participate,” said one man.

“It was communion today,” said his wife. “And I’ve been missing that.”

“Being the light is showing up when nobody else shows up.”

It all started in 2008, when Kristie first started attending Life Church.  She asked God, what’s my part to play? He told her to start ministering in the senior communities—something she had zero experience doing.

“I just said, ‘Okay Lord, I’ll do it,’” Kristie said.

What started at just one senior home has now grown to more than 10 different locations around Boise and Meridian. Each week, Kristie and her team fulfill the call of God by reaching the lost and teaching the found. They’ve seen people saved, healed, and impacted by the relationships formed.

“Being the light is showing up when nobody else shows up,” said Tonja Cantrell, a Senior Campus team member. “Sometimes when people don’t come and visit, the seniors don’t have anyone to talk to. So, I think it can be really therapeutic to have someone who will listen, no matter what it is. And the end of the day, it’s not just all about music, it’s not just all about preaching, but building a relationship with somebody.”

To learn more about how the Senior Campus is reaching the lost in our valley, watch the behind-the-scenes video below. Interested in joining? Click here to view our outreach ministries.