By Robin Johnson, Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas
Gayle Smith, a lifelong learner and member of Clear Lake Presbyterian Church (CLPC) in Houston, TX, is passionate about her faith and aging well.
“Free time is a gift of ageing that I love,” Gayle shares.
Raising a family of five and owning a business for 35 years didn’t leave much extra time.
“I did pray and attend church. It took till I was 55 years old to learn that prayer was not just what I told God to help me with—I had to listen quietly for God’s words, too” she elaborated.
Gayle is a leader of an Al-Anon group that meets weekly at CLPC. As part of her Al-Anon journey, Gayle learned to meditate. Meditation became a core part of her spiritual practice.
“Meditation lifted a ton of bricks off my shoulders. I wanted others to learn this too.”
Last spring with a book club, Gayle read Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life. This collection of scripture-based meditations by Jane Thibault and Richard Morgan inspired her to go further into the practice of meditation.
It also challenged her to reflect on scriptures such as Matthew 28:20, where Jesus said “I am with you always.” In questioning where she found Jesus, she realized He was wrapping His arms around her every minute of the day.
Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life made such an impression on her that she began looking for a way to share it with others. In the summer of 2024, Gayle introduced the book and meditation practice with members of the Clear Lake Presbyterian Church community through a four-week class.
The Pilgrimage into the Final Third of Life class was held on four Wednesday mornings in August for two hours. The first part of the class was a time of meditation instruction and practice. The second part of the class was discussion of the book shaped by questions offered by the authors.
About 50 adults aged 65 and over gathered each week for a time of learning and practicing meditation. Participants were introduced to a variety of meditation practices including breath prayers, guided meditation, and body scanning. The meditation session ended with a time of questions and answers along with reflection.
Each meditation session was led by a different person. Leaders included pastors, professional counselors, and lay people. Each leader brought their own experiences and interests to their session, including their personal experience with meditation as a faith practice.
Gayle chose to hold the meditation session of class in the CLPC sanctuary because it provided the space and atmosphere that she felt would enhance meditation. She also wanted to reinforce the idea that meditation is as much of a faith practice as worship and one that can be utilized outside of Sunday morning worship.
Following the time of meditation, participants moved to the CLPC library for the study and discussion of the Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life.
To guide the conversation each week, Gayle chose members who were active in the church though not necessarily existing leaders in older adult programming. Each was assigned one or two chapters of the book to cover during discussion.
Conversation questions were drawn from the book. These were emailed prior to the class so that participants had time to contemplate them in advance. Gayle chose to do this because purchasing/reading the book was not a class requirement.
“This class was more about lived experience than the knowledge of experts, so discussion was solely based on personal experience,” she explained.
Most of the discussion took place in table groups or with partners then participants were given the opportunity to share their insights with the entire class.
Gayle worked with church staff on logistics for the class. Round tables that seated six to eight people plus homemade cookies and coffee were conducive for discussion. A cordless microphone that could be passed around was helpful in ensuring everyone could hear.
In after class evaluations, participants appreciated the discussion topics and the fact that all the presenters were older adults. The biggest complaint was that the class didn’t offer enough time for the sharing the participants desired.
“My hope was that more CLPC members could find this peace, too,” Gayle said. Attendance was “way beyond” her expectation.
Gayle has plans for extending this class experience. She intends to find a comfortable quiet place to offer contemplation/meditation every week. Her goal is to identify a room in the church where anyone can sit and practice “listening” to God in community.
Robin Johnson is the director of Mental Health and 55+ Adult Ministry at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church (Houston, TX). In this role, she invites church members and those in the community to engage in mental wellness throughout their lives. She also implements programs and encourages habits that foster strong faith and community in later life. Robin is a former educator, administrator, and counselor.
This article originally appeared in the 2025 Older Adult Ministry Resource Guide.