The Young family

How do you honor your parents at their 50th wedding anniversary? The children of Elmer and Nancy Young came up with a plan that truly touched the hearts of their parents. In honor of this special couple, they are funding the building of a church in Malawi. Mukuta village was a recent recipient of a borehole from other donors and now soon will have a church. Elmer says, “Now they have the main ingredients for a healthy village—clean water for physical health and a church for spiritual health…a gift that keeps on giving.” The entire family celebrated the anniversary in both Nashville and Chattanooga during which the children presented Elmer and Nancy with their “gift.”  

Elmer could relate when Belmont‘s first involvement in the little African country of Malawi centered around digging borehole wells to provide clean water. He had just retired from the Metro Water Service after many years and he knew firsthand what that meant.  He and his wife, Nancy, a former free-lance writer of Sunday school materials for the UM Publishing House, began their love affair with Malawi. The Youngs’ faith, always outwardly focused, found an interesting target that grew as Belmont’s connection grew with the Malawi United Methodist Church, especially with the Christmas Miracle Offering of 2008 to build churches.  

Outwardly focused living continues with their three children and their families. Elmer and Nancy made a conscious decision to be involved in their children’s lives here and in Texas when they decided to divide their time between Nashville and Ft. Worth each year. Their children hold them as role models for good parenting as well as Christian living. A few years ago, they decided instead of giving Christmas gifts, each family would give to an area of interest and then tell about it at their Christmas gathering. Therefore, it was not surprising that they chose a special gift for their parents in honor of their recent 50th wedding anniversary. The Youngs are establishing their legacy with children and grandchildren.