Dear Friends,
Thank you for your intest in the ministry and the blog! The new effort was kicked off on September 1st and it has been an exciting time.
The ultimate goal of the ministry is to help persons with disabilities and their families go to church. At this point, most churches do little or nothing for this underserved population. The rising rates of autism and related disabilites makes this population difficult to ignore, but it is happening all too often. There are a few examples of good work being done, but these are the exceptions, not the rule. It is our belief that this is not intentional on the church's part, but rather a lack of knowing WHAT to do to help.
We are in the process of offering help to the church. We are contacting them by letter and phone. So far, we have been encouraged that some churches are very interested in hearing more! Though we have had disappointments when churches simply say no. I can't figure out how some church leaders can say no to a disabled child and their family--especially when many have said that they have one or more families in their CURRENT congregation dealing with disability. Yet they have no ministry for these families. And they want no ministry for these families. To be honest, it breaks my heart.
Right now, I am focused on churches who say, "YES!" We are excited and praying for these families. Please continue to pray for us, the church body and the church leadership.
I would love to get your response to this post. Please add comments below.
Peace and Love,
Andrew
I would like to add my disappointment of the attitude of any church who does not see the value of a ministry for kids and families with special needs. I know that money is tight right now for everyone, but that is the EXACT time the church needs to be stepping up more, not less. It is in times of crisis and hardship that many people turn to the church. We (as a church body) usually have only ONE chance to reach these people. The church must be equipped for this. we can't sit by any longer as children and families drift away.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I am happy that there are churches seeking to help! It will be those churches who receive blessings ("As you have done unto the least of these, you have done to Me.") and I can't wait to see how God will work in lives and hearts!
There are several churches that are moving forward with disability ministry. This is a wonderful blessing for those outside the church who want to be included.
ReplyDelete