This story originally appeared on the NC Rural Center website on Dec. 4.
When leaders from the three United Methodist churches comprising the Sanford Circuit Charge gathered to discuss how they could serve their community, the needs were overwhelming.
But one particular conversation helped to reveal how — and who — they could best support in the moment. Members from the charge’s community leadership team were each tasked with asking local individuals, from firefighters to educators, social workers and others, what kept them up at night. They repeatedly heard two concerns.
“The two main targets that kept coming back up, that we continued to hear over and over from community folks was the concern over our youth and our seniors,” said Stella Farrow, a leadership team member. Community worries about those groups echoed the team’s demographic research. Seniors, they found, struggled with loneliness. Young people lacked direction.
There’s such a disconnect right between the Baby Boomers and the Gen Zers and Millennials. We were just trying to bridge some of those connections to provide a meaningful platform for them to conversate, because their languages are totally different.
— Rev. Kennedy Gray
As a result, the group created a year-long initiative designed to connect the community’s youth and older adults through workshops, field trips and, ultimately, a celebratory prom. The program built bridges between generations and between congregations, leaders said. A $10,000 grant from the Rural Center supported the endeavor after the Sanford Circuit members successfully completed the center’s Connect Church program.
“In going through that year-long study process, we began to realize how much we had in common as congregations as well as individuals,” Farrow said. “We began to plan together for what was good for the entire charge, taking in consideration the different needs of each individual church.”
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Building bonds
McQueen Chapel in Lemon Springs, Union Grove in Broadway, and Mt. Olive in Lillington form the Sanford Circuit Charge. They sit within a 20-mile radius of each other in rural Moore and Harnett counties and have long shared a single pastor. Rev. Kennedy Gray currently leads the three congregations.
But it was only in recent years that the congregations began to work more collaboratively, Fallow said. They formed the community leadership team with representatives from all three churches.
“We get together and discern needs of each one of the communities and find out how we can build combined programs to address the needs in all three communities,” Gray said.
Connect Church’s coaching process included reflection, research, planning, and community engagement, but it wasn’t always easy.
“There was definitely a lot of brainstorming, inventory checking, and leaning in on things that we already knew were prevalent in the community,” Gray said. “But you can’t do them all.”
Community input and demographic research helped them focus on the needs of young people and older adults. In the counties they serve, those two groups represent a large swath of their community. Youth ages 5 to 18 make up 42% of the population, while adults aged 60 to 80 account for 36%, they found.
And both groups face challenges. They learned that 50% of the counties’ young people don’t seek higher education after high school. And research across the country and in North Carolina has found that the elderly struggle with loneliness. Among those 65 and up in North Carolina, about 38% are at risk of social isolation, according to United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings.
“There’s such a disconnect right between the Baby Boomers and the Gen Zers and Millennials,” Gray said. “We were just trying to bridge some of those connections to provide a meaningful platform for them to conversate, because their languages are totally different.”
Making memories
One of the most powerful discoveries that came out of the deliberations was learning about the wealth of untapped talent within the congregations, leaders said. Congregants had the know-how and professional experience to support the program.
“We had no idea how many gifts our members had, and as we started talking and sharing, it was just like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you could do that,’” said Dianna Blue, a member of the leadership team. “It was a real learning experience for everybody on the committee.”
Sanford Circuit Charge members relied on those strengths as they rolled out the program, which started in early 2024. Monthly, the generations met separately or together, depending on the topic, for workshops, field trips, and social events. Regular workshops covered everything from insurance and healthy eating to job interview skills and “code switching,” changing your language or behavior to fit in with different social groups.
“We tried to do workshops to give people information that they could use,” said Cleo Blue, Dianna’s husband and a leadership team member who worked in insurance and led the session on the topic. “I thought we were really successful in that.”
Field trips included a tour of N.C. Central University for the young people, who ranged in age from older grade schooler to high school senior, to learn about college life and think about their future.
It was a joyous occasion. They really enjoyed it, and they wanted to have another one. That was the feedback — that they really enjoyed it, and when y’all gonna have another one?
— Margie Raymond, a leadership team member
Elders toured Historic Stagville, a state historic site in Durham that was once one of the largest plantations in the state.
“A lot of our elderly folks don’t get out much and visit and see sites and fellowship in diverse groups,” Gray said. “We wanted to provide them an opportunity to do that.”
It all culminated with a prom for both the youth and seniors in December 2024. The colors were silver and blue, and promgoers came decked out in their best — long gowns, short party dresses, suits, and tuxedos. A DJ spun old-school hits from the 1970s as attendees enjoyed a sit-down dinner, line danced, and took home keepsakes from a photo booth.
“It was a joyous occasion,” said Margie Raymond, a leadership team member. “They really enjoyed it, and they wanted to have another one. That was the feedback — that they really enjoyed it, and when y’all gonna have another one?”
Extending God’s love
The program’s success has led to a continuation grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and a commitment to extend the program and hold another prom. For the Sanford Circuit Charge community leadership team, the experience has been transformative.
“It is a lot of work, but it’s well worth every minute you spend,” Farrow said. “For me, I had personal growth, as well as spiritual growth, as well as building relationships.”
Moreover, guided by a conviction that faith comes alive through service, Raymond described their work as an extension of God’s love — reaching out to others and putting their gifts into action.
“We cannot be selfish to share what we have,” Raymond said. “It may not be a whole lot, but we are sharing what we do have and what we have learned, so other people can see what we are doing, as Christians, and doing the right thing and sharing our blessings.”
Editor’s note: The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation supports the work of EdNC.
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