The Parish Church of St John-at-Hampstead

President The Rt Revd Peter Wheatley
           
This charity is aimed at supporting, informing and engaging with older people.  It is generously supported by our church, but equally by St. Pancras Church where it is based.  Its strapline is ‘Taking Ageing and Faith Seriously’.    Organised activities for members take place in St. Pancras’ Church Hall, conveniently located opposite Euston Station, in Lancing Street.

PSALM’s income comes from grants by charitable trusts and donations by churches and individuals, plus membership subscriptions and fees for consultancies, seminars and workshops.  The workshops are either hosted by PSALM or given to churches across London.   Our church is a corporate member of PSALM which entitles 1 member from our congregation (who is not an individual member) to attend any workshop given by PSALM at a 20% reduced charge.

PSALM will shortly hold its first conference for those in participating churches already working with older people or wanting to start and for those wanting to extend the repertoire of existing fellowship or older people’s groups.  This will take place on Wednesday, 17th April, from 10.30 a.m. to 3.45 p.m. at Lumen United Reformed Church, 88 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9RS.  A leaflet about t his is on the table at the back of the church.

During the past year PSALM has held several day seminars or workshops at St. Pancras church hall, on various topics of interest or relevance to older people, including such matters as countering anxiety, exploring Christian understandings of healing and the spiritual journey, and considering how the world in which we grew up and which shaped us may be at odds with the world of today, how can we hold these different worlds together.  Outreach to the wider church in London has involved presentations, sermons and workshops with several churches and other groups.  Consultancy has also been provided for groups and churches seeking to set up new services or provisions of various kinds for older people.

PSALM has published a catalogue of workshops for churches and other organisations which PSALM can host or enable the organisation to host at an hourly rate (to be negotiated) and will be launching a new one at its conference on 17th April. Examples of topics which can be covered are pastoral issues of caring for an ageing population (including visiting residential care and nursing homes) preparing for retirement, living well with memory loss, living alone in later life, questions that challenge or unsettle us in relation to death and legal and other issues relating to death.  These are likely to be extended in the new catalogue.

Locally, PSALM is presently working with Heath Street Baptist Church which has offered its premises for that purpose.  Again, details will be provided when a firm plan is in place.

Further information on PSALM is available on its website www.PSALM.org.uk

Beryl Dowsett & John Willmer, Trustees of PSALM