"This is exactly what I have needed in my life!!" So exclaimed a retired lawyer and social activist upon his recent discovery of LifeQuest of Arkansas. He is not alone in that feeling.
LifeQuest is a program for active seniors sponsored and supported by 20 Little Rock interfaith congregations and hosted by Second Presbyterian Church as part of their missions in serving the needs of all of their parishioners. It was founded in 1981 as the Shepherd's Center of Little Rock by 12 local congregations of varying faiths. The name was changed in 2003.
LifeQuest is affiliated with Shepherd's Centers of America and is one of the most successful of that 75-member organization.
The first term in 1981 offered eight or so courses to 80 or so attendees. The program currently offers 35 to 37 courses per eight-week term to an enrollment averaging 550 per term.
The basic LifeQuest format is a series of eight weekly sessions in hour-long units held all day Wednesdays and Thursday mornings. A standard LifeQuest year contains three eight-week terms and one four-week summer term, with breaks in between.
A typical week will cover dozens of topics, with attendees getting to pick and choose. While many of the units are traditional lectures with plenty of visual aids, others focus on developing skills such as painting with water colors, drawing, oil painting, foreign languages, mah jongg, yoga, and Latin dance.
Two of the most popular classes are John Brummett's Behind the Headlines and United States Foreign Policy, taught by Alan Eastham, retired diplomat and Hendrix College professor. They generate a lot of class discussion and fill the church's magnificent sanctuary.
In fact, many of the presenters are, like Eastham, present or former teachers, experts in fields as diverse as biology, Shakespeare, modern film, Victorian England, classical music and (of course) sports.
Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and many certainly do. Others take notes since that is how they are used to learning. And they learn from each other, with the questions revealing surprising levels of erudition.
Some topics carry over from one eight-week term to the next but without repetition. Others occupy the same spot on the calendar for eight weeks, sometimes with one presenter throughout, and sometimes with eight different presenters. For example, Rev. David Dyer recently presented eight American Scoundrels, while Dick Williams currently has a stable of eight lawyers who will each discuss an Arkansas governor.
Even lunch may come with learning on the side. Recent programs featured a barbershop quartet, and fundamentals of economic reporting and forecasting.
The entire operation (including lunch) is dependent upon 150 to 200 unpaid volunteers, as presenters and arrangers, and as program crafters, all coordinated by seasoned executive director Ann Leek and her capable but tiny part-time staff.
Numerous studies have established that, for good health--physical, mental and emotional--seniors need exercise, socialization and regular intellectual stimulation. For LifeQuest's participants, in at least two of those categories and for some all three, LifeQuest certainly makes available exactly what they need in their lives.
Chris Barrier is a Little Rock lawyer.
Editorial on 05/29/2016