I have this crazy idea. It is not the first one I have had and it won’t be the last either.  I want my 80-year-olds at church to have a forum to interact with my 30-somethings.  In a large church, that simply does not happen.  We gravitate relationally to our peers.  The merits of intergenerational friendships can be discussed all day long, but in the final analysis, it just does not happen.  As a rule, my 80-somethings are not familiar with such social networking tools as Twitter and Facebook.  Blogging is actually foreign to some of them.  They do not listen to music on ipods as a rule, and computers intimidate them.   I must admit there are notable exceptions to that rule.  In general, we have to live with the realities of a generational gulf. 

Here is my crazy idea:  I want do some Larry King style interviews with one or two of my senior adults with members of the younger crowd in the audience.  I have in mind to set it up in a coffee house sort of atmosphere.  The same kind of interviews need to be done with a couple of 20- or 30-somethings.  Everyone present can observe and listen.  I wonder what we would learn?

We have a handful of members at church who were in their teens during World War II.  Daniel interviewed them for a school project last year.  It was fascinating and humorous, too.  One of our elderly ladies talked about using her good looks and charm to get additional ration stamps for gas.  Yes…this crazy idea could be a lot of fun.

What caused me to generate such an idea?  I get to hear the stories of elderly people on a regular basis, because I officiate at a lot of funerals.  The family gathers, and the stories begin to flow.  Why can’t those compelling narratives be shared long before it is time to compose a eulogy?   There is so much to learn.
Members of different generations might actually begin to view one another through a lens of empathy and appreciation.   Crazy? Yes!  But I think I am going to pursue this idea.