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They kept coming and coming, the older adults from throughout the conference, until the registration was exceeded and more chairs were crowded into the dining room of West River Center. Many came by car but small buses brought people from Hughes Memorial, Nottingham Myers and Ebenezer in Lanham UMCs.

It was the fall meeting of the Older Adults Day Away, Sept. 25, a perfect late summer day for an outing to the conference camp on the shores of West River.
 
Many came to meet and hear the keynote speaker. Leroy Battle, a jazz musician, a second lieutenant with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, an educator (band director) for 30 years in Prince Georges County, and drummer for the Redskins band for 17 years, who held everyone's attention as he told his story, using a film to share the message.

His book, 'Easier Said,' was for sale and many lined up to get it autographed.

'We were from the same high school,' said Clara Hawkins, co-coordinator of the older adult ministry at Nottingham-Myers UMC. 'He organized a band and we were the first African-American band to play in the Cherry Blossom Festival.'

The day began with a Bible study based on the Psalms, led by the Rev. Mary Jane Coleman, a retired district superintendent.

Bible study is life-long, Coleman said. The Psalms, the songbook of the Bible, expresses a range of emotions to God, including anger and outrage, she said. 'But they (except one) always end with confidence and praise to God.'

'We tend to think if we don't feel God's presence, God is not there,' Coleman said. 'But the Psalms say otherwise.'

Following the study, participants participated in interest groups. Some sat under a tree and learned about 'Birds of the Chesapeake,' others explored 'Fall Gardening from A to Z,' while still others took a boat ride, sang favorite hymns or watched a slide show about Antarctica.

Several people attending Andy Thornton's sharing group on what churches are doing in Older Adult Ministries expressed some of the concerns of their generation.

'Overall, the older adult isn't valued enough,' said one. 'Maybe we can't go out to meetings in the evenings, but we still can be givers.'

In spite of the feeling of being left out, the seniors wholeheartedly agreed that part of their 'job' was to share what they know, to mentor younger people and 'be advocates for younger adults.'

'A healthy church has a balance of ages,' said Thornton, the director of conference camping and retreat ministries. 'We need to work to share our gifts.'

Thornton also revealed plans to hold older adult activities four times a year, instead of two, at the campground. The next one, will be in early December.