By Laurie Whittier
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Despite the staggering number of religions and spiritual perspectives in the United States, Wind Crest’s Pastoral Ministries Manager David Maes says there’s still a stereotype about older Americans. "Most people think of them as primarily Christian," he says.

But, he explains, that’s not necessarily true. "We have a variety of religions and spiritual faiths at Wind Crest, and they’re not all Christian," says Maes. Wind Crest’s pastoral ministries program encourages an accepting atmosphere where residents can embrace their spiritual beliefs—whether they’re mainstream, new age, or somewhere in between.

Varied representation
Spiritual life activities are found regularly on Wind Crest’s activity calendar—and the list is growing as the months pass. Some are nondenominational, while others include the monthly dinner and fellowship gathering for Universalist Unitarians, Religious Science followers, and Unity members.

"When I told one of our residents about starting a group for Unitarians, he said, ‘Oh, there won’t be very many of those,’" recalls Maes. Yet the group is attracting 20 or more residents a month.

Atmosphere of acceptance
When Wind Crest opened a little more than a year ago, Maes says he tried to assess the spiritual perspectives of residents.

"In the process, I discovered that the less mainstream a person’s beliefs were, the less likely they were to come forward," he says.

Maes hopes that fostering an environment of spiritual freedom will continue to shatter the stereotype of the older generation.

"There’s no way to know what spiritual beliefs are represented in a place like this unless people know they’re welcome," he says. "All are welcome at Wind Crest."