Participating in traditional Sunday worship services has been an enriching activity for many Southminster residents throughout their lives. But according to Super-Agers Marilynn Bellmann and Susanne Sawyer, moving to Southminster has the power to move you to a new place — from being a lifelong churchgoer to becoming a whole-hearted seeker of spiritual wellness.
Carol Anne Lawler, Southminster’s Minister of Spiritual Wellness, defines what the term means to her. “Spiritual wellness is a feeling of being grounded in your mind, body and spirit, and finding ways to integrate all three.” No retirement community has more ways to help residents expand their sense of community and spirituality than Southminster. Under the guidance of Lawler and Minister of Pastoral Care Joe Aldrich, residents can be part of opportunities to nurture individual and collective spiritual wellness every day of the week, from Monday Meditation to Spiritual Saturdays and Sunday Services.
Monday Meditation
Sawyer, who serves on Southminster’s Spiritual Wellness Committee, said she grew up in the church, but had never been someone who meditated. Monday Meditation was a new experience for her, but now she finds she never wants to miss it. “It settles me,” Sawyer said. “It’s a quiet time to breathe and relax into your own personal mantra or prayer. When you first start, an interesting thing happens. After the lights go off and the door closes in the Chapel, you are still aware of chatter in the hall. But every bit of that noise goes away as you learn to be with yourself and retreat into calmness. The process of letting go is so good for me.”
Tuesday Chapel Services
Bellmann said she finds a great deal of spiritual wellness in Southminster’s Chapel services every Tuesday afternoon. “It’s a very meaningful thing – it feeds me,” she said. “Speakers come in from different denominations to deliver a sermonette or homily, and Carol Anne offers beautiful prayers.” Bellmann especially enjoys leading the group in singing hymns. “We used to close the doors, but now we keep them open, so people can stop and listen for a few minutes or feel comfortable spontaneously joining us in the middle of the service.”
Mid-Week Church Services
For residents who love more traditional church services, especially those who can no longer drive to churches where they’ve been members, there are many options for attending live services on campus. Tuesday morning is Catholic mass; Tuesday afternoon, non-denominational Community Worship; and Wednesday morning an Episcopal service is offered.
Spiritual Saturdays
Mary Ann Archer, a volunteer from Holy Comforter Episcopal Church leads Spiritual Saturday gatherings twice a month with themes ranging from arts to contemplation.
Live-Streamed Sunday Services
On Sunday, church services from the sanctuaries of two prominent Charlotte churches, Myers Park Presbyterian and Myers Park Baptist, are livestreamed to remote congregants in Southminster’s Great Room and theaters. In addition, there are bi-monthly services in Embrace Care and Assisted Living for those with health and mobility challenges.
Ongoing Opportunities and Special Events
In addition to quarterly Celebration of Life Services for those who have passed away, Southminster schedules Grief Support Groups one or two times a year. In October, there’s even a Blessing of the Animals, a public expression of the bond people have with pets and other animals. New Mindfulness classes, Fall and Spring Book Studies, International Day of Peace events, Conscious Aging Retreats and Spiritual Wellness in Nature sessions are more of the many ways to center yourself in this caring community.
“For me, Southminster’s Caregiver Groups can have a huge impact on spiritual wellness,” Bellmann said. “If I had been able to rely on groups like these when I was caring for my husband by myself, it would have made such a difference. Having readily accessible help and support to learn to care for yourself as you care for someone else is crucial. It’s a very hard balance.”
Solo Spiritual Wellness
Lawler added that many ways to build individual spiritual wellness don’t involve going to services or joining groups. For example, whether she is in a group counseling session or with someone one-on-one who is upset, she is a big believer in breathwork. “It brings calm, costs nothing and you can do it anytime, anywhere. It can be as simple as just counting your breaths and adding a phrase prayer, for example: Say ‘Be still and know’ (on an in-breath) and ‘I am God’ (on an out-breath).”
Bellmann said her early morning walks around Southminster’s beautiful campus also contribute greatly to her spiritual wellness. “You can just be peaceful as you walk, enjoy the calming beauty of being outdoors, and return home ready to go on with your day.”
Feeding your own spiritual wellness can be as important (often even more so) to being a Super-Ager as physical exercise, eating well, being with people, engaging in Life Enrichment activities, serving on resident-led committees, going new places, and taking on new challenges.
“When I grew up worship was very structured. Here, there’s an opportunity to think way outside the box and to be in community in new ways,” Sawyer said. “With COVID and everything else we face today, if we don’t meet people where they are, we always miss something. What I’m learning as I live here at Southminster is that I always need to pay attention to the details of life around me. Spiritual awareness makes me alert to people and heightens my ability to sense if something is off with them.”