Ms. Evelyn, a mother of a Special Olympic athlete, shared her and her son's experience with church. She shared that statistics she found indicated that 90 - 95 % of families with a member who has a disability are not in a church. As parent of a child with special needs she named some reasons why the family does not go to church: “fear of not being accepted, too difficult to get things together and ready to leave the house, to utter fatigue. And, when Christopher (her son) was in children's church, he did sit in the back of the room, usually with an adult kind of watching him, but never engaged in the activities with the other kids.” She said, “They ‘tolerated’ him staying in the room, but never saw the opportunity to minister to him or teach him the lessons or share the Gospel.” After I heard this, a light went on in my head and I was awakened to the enormous need for ministry settings that are geared towards those with special needs. Ms. Evelyn and Christopher’s story changed my life.
Ms. Evelyn conveyed her disappointment in the numerous churches they tried; it seemed there was not room available for her son to feel comfortable and loved. But Jesus tells us, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms” (John 14:2).
God’s call to the church is to create space and loving environments where people with special needs and their families can come to encounter God's grace. In my observations and reflections I hope to discern a portion of how and where God is calling the church to serve ALL people. Blog posts will include reflections on conversations, volunteering, reading material, and personal experiences. I am energized to be a part of this new beginning, and to see how God is moving through the body of the church.
I think your blog is awesome!! I remember Ms. Evelyn sharing her experience with taking her son to church and the difficulties that came with trying to find one that was welcoming their whole family. I think it is often something that churches overlook. I think that more and more families are looking for churches that specifically cater to their kids' special needs. Nick and I actually just starting serving with "Open Arms" at our church, the special needs ministry. I found it so encouraging that the church we go to has a place for these kids, and not just in one specific place either. The church has made it so that these kids are integrated with their same-age peers. As a volunteer, I am able to meet with a middle-school aged girl and be with her in the middle-school environment on Sunday mornings while her parents are attending the service. I just wanted to share this with you because it shows that churches are making more of an effort to include all people, which makes me very happy! The church you visited sounds amazing!! It's great to see what God is doing and the people He is raising up to advocate for people with special needs. :)
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