People move to Arroyo Grande, California, for one of two reasons: to work in the fields, or retire to the golf courses. The two cultures—immigrant workers and retiring professionals—rarely intersect. But the ministry at a local church connected them, and everyone is benefiting.

Five years ago, leaders at Grace Bible Church (www.gracevine.com) struggled with how to infuse significance into the daily lives of its retired people.

"Many of our people were settling into the second half of their lives," says associate pastor Gary Clatterbuck. "We wanted to help them to have more purpose than how many golf games they got in that day."

They named the ministry "Grace Alive" because "we wanted to make clear that this was a ministry for people who were vital and vibrant," Gary says. After reading in the local news-paper North Oceano, a nearby elementary school that had the lowest test scores in the county, Gary went to visit the school principal, to ask how they could help. The principal was ...