At 66 years old, Pastor Jon Moody is still 20 years younger than most of his congregants. That’s because he’s planting Park Place Community Church inside an assisted living facility to reach people he believes to be the most forgotten in North America.
From 2019 to 2023, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Jon served as a hospice chaplain and spent much of his time at Park Place Senior Living in Fort Wayne, Ind.
“I kind of became the chaplain to the building — not just to the hospice patients, but to the staff and other residents too,” Jon says.
As time went on, Jon and his wife, Beth, became increasingly burdened by the plight of many of America’s forgotten seniors.
“All these people who had a healthy church life and a healthy faith are suddenly put in this facility where they’re cut off, and they can’t go out to church,” shares Jon. “So we thought, why not plant a church here, inside this place?”
An example of Send Network’s vision of churches planting churches everywhere for everyone, Park Place Community Church is more than just a weekly service for residents. It’s a vibrant faith community and a satellite campus of St. Joe Community Church, which sent out the Moodys to plant in 2023.
Several members from St. Joe have joined them in the church planting journey, and together, they’ve seen God work in this unique mission field located just miles away from their homes.
After a recent sermon, 88-year-old Harold shared with Jon that when he learned that Paul understood it was necessary to stay on earth to help others rather than depart to heaven (Phil 1:23-24), he was challenged to spend more time outside his room and share his faith with his neighbors. Despite his battle with depression, Harold has now led Bible studies for fellow residents.
Pat, another resident, shared she never attended church before and is excited to learn more about Christ in her golden years. Through the help of church planting team members, 93-year-old Faye has started giving away Bibles, complete with her notes, to facility staff and grandchildren.
Jon often reminds his congregants that God has a purpose for each year of their lives. “I tell them, this isn’t just a waiting room. God must have something to do for you still, and that’s why I’m here —to help you figure out what that is and be about it until the day you see Jesus,” he says.
But the need and tremendous opportunities offered by planting a church in an assisted living facility don’t begin and end with Park Place Senior Living in Indiana. Across the nation, thousands of the shut-in and elderly struggle with isolation, depression, and a waning faith.
“Our faith should get stronger and more vibrant as we get ready to go to heaven instead of waning and decreasing as time goes on,” Jon says. “There’s thousands of these kinds of facilities and if we could catch the idea of planting churches inside of them, we’d see that mission field is huge. It will not only benefit the Christians but also mobilize them to reach out to their non-Christian neighbors.”
For Jon and Beth, the partnership and support they’ve found through Send Network has been vital — and radically different from their previous ministry experience.
“One thing that’s been different about Send Network is just the phenomenal amount of support,” he shares. “People are calling me and asking, ‘What can we do? How can we help you succeed?’”
To learn more about how you can join a movement of churches planting churches everywhere for everyone and experience support at every step along the journey, register for a Send Network Gathering near you.
Published August 1, 2024