Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Senior group donates flag to First Nazarene

Around 78 seniors took a break from their regular exercise class Monday to donate an American flag to the church that hosts them. The ceremony was just in time for the Fourth of July.

“The reason we always have a nice, fresh flag is because of these folks,” said the Rev. Jerry McConnell of the First Church of the Nazarene, 9004 N. Country Homes Blvd.

The seniors are part of the Step and Stretch group which meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m. in the gymnasium of the church for an hour and a half of exercise, prayer and friendship.

They range in age from 65 to over 100.

The church lets the seniors use the gymnasium for free, but the group likes to chip in when they can.

On the fourth Friday of every month, they make 340 sandwiches for City Gate, and every once in a while, when the church’s American flag gets weather-beaten and tattered, they all chip in to buy a new one.

“The church is nice enough to give us the hall,” said Harry Skarka, the leader of the group which has met at the church for 10 years. “A lot of these people would be sitting at home doing nothing.”

Skarka belongs to the Catholic Church, so he had two members of First Nazarene, Guy Williams and Roy Davis, present the flag to McConnell.

The seniors gathered in chairs at the foot of the flagpole and posed for a group picture.

It took 11 men to unfold the flag, which is 10 feet by 15 feet, without letting it touch the ground.

As the flag was attached to the pole’s cord, the seniors sang “God Bless America,” and applauded as the flag made its way to the top of the pole.

McConnell said that it is always nice to see so many cars in the parking lot and he notices that some of the members of Step and Stretch like to walk around the building before the exercise class meets.

He said that the seniors not only give their bodies a workout, but they also get to build their spirits and souls.

As members arrive, they usually pick out a chair and then take a brisk walk around the gym to warm up.

When the class starts, the group takes time for a Bible reading and a prayer.

Skarka said that the members are from churches throughout the community, not just First Nazarene.

There are Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists and more, all gathering for an interfaith workout.

Although there are over 100 members in the group, they are looking for around 20 more to fill spaces in the gym. Not all members come every day; usually around 60 to 70 show up.

They start the workout with easy stretches and move on to free weights, step class and mats for a cool-down. Members can do their exercises from their chairs.

Dolores Skarka, Harry’s wife, has been coming to the class since the beginning.

“We exercise here, and it doesn’t cost anything,” she said with pride.

Rose Aeck has tried to come to every class for the last eight years. The exercise they get is important, but they all enjoy the fellowship.