Elderly Care Ministry (ECM)
ECM stands for Elderly Care Ministry. Every Sunday, a group of mentors and college students visit a local convalescent home to hold a church service and spend time with the residents. Life in these homes can be very lonely—over 60% of residents never receive a visitor, and about half don’t have any close relatives. Through ECM, we hope to bring encouragement, friendship, and the love of Christ to them.
ECM at a2fSB began after a Valentine’s Day of Compassion visit to Buena Vista in 2016. During that visit, students and mentors spent time talking with the residents and saw how much a simple visit meant to them. What felt small to us made a big difference in their otherwise quiet routines. Afterward, we asked the church if anyone would be willing to return weekly on Sundays—and that’s how ECM started.
A typical ECM service begins with a short focus time led by a mentor to prepare our hearts. Then we sing hymns together with the residents, hear a short message shared by a mentor or student, and spend time afterward talking with the residents about the message and getting to know them better.
One of the most encouraging parts of this ministry has been seeing how God works in the residents’ lives. Early on, a resident named Ms. Beryl decided to put her faith in Christ during the week after attending one of our services. The next Sunday, she told a mentor with a huge smile on her face. From then on, she became ECM’s biggest supporter—inviting other residents to join and starting gospel conversations with her friends at Buena Vista.
Personally, being part of ECM over the years has been a meaningful reminder of just how wide and deep God’s love is for His people. His heart is for everyone to know Him, and it’s been amazing to see that it’s never too late for someone to come to faith—even later in life.
Sarah Lin (c/o 2019) graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Sociology Major. She is an enneagram 4 and her superpower is organizing. She’s currently serving as a mentor at acts2fellowship SB.