SPECIAL NEEDS

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.

Man looks at the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7b

The mission of the Special Needs Ministry is to minister to families of special needs children and adults through love, comfort, support, prayer, mentoring, resources, worship, training and fellowship in order to nurture a growing knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Core Beliefs of the Special Needs Ministry

That ALL people are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27)

God is sovereign, even with our disabilities. (Exodus 4:11)

We serve Christ by serving others. (Matthew 25:40)

We need to look past the disability to the person God has created. (1Corinthians 12:27)

Services Provided

Sunday School
The Buddy System is a way of including special needs children in the life of our church. These children are paired up with a buddy who assists them during their Sunday school class. This system not only benefits the special needs child (often times being the only vehicle by which he or she may attend class and learn about our loving God), but it enables the parents and siblings of the special needs child to also attend their own Sunday school class and/or worship service.

Special Care for Special Kids
This is a room for those special needs individuals who are not able to participate in the typical Sunday school program because of the severity of their special need. They will enjoy one-on-one attention as they are being taught about the love of Christ and cared for otherwise while the rest of their family is free to attend the worship service.

Worship

Our congregation has also come together as a community of believers to enable our members with special needs, in the area of oversensitivity to their environment, to be able to be fully included in worship. Adjacent to the sanctuary there is a room specially designed and designated for people with oversensitivity to sound, light and smell such as those with autism, ADD and ADHD. This 10' x 13' room is located at the rear of the sanctuary and contains the following elements:
•Large one-way window for viewing the service (no one from sanctuary can see in)
•Carpeted floors
•Glider rockers
•Canned lights with dimmers
•Piped sound with volume control

Training

To further the education and acceptance of special needs persons in our congregation, the Special Needs Committee has taught Sunday school classes on the types of special needs within our own congregation and what members can do to help and how to pray for these families. We have trained our Stephen Ministers regarding the special needs within our congregation and how it affects, not only the person with special needs, but also their extended family members.

Other Services Provided

Large print bulletins for all services held in the church, Braille music for choir members who are visually impaired, Braille bulletins, transportation by volunteers for the visually impaired, a sign language interpreter and handicapped accessible stalls in ALL bathrooms where classrooms for the elderly are located. We also designated spaces in the parking lot “for handicapped and first time visitors only” during our Easter services. The congregation, except for the handicapped and first time visitors, park at remote locations and ride buses to the church. We also make special accommodations and give encouragement for all people with any kind of disability to participate in our annual day of service called Christ Church Cares Day.

Get Involved

The Special Needs Ministry cannot be a success without self-less, compassionate volunteers. There are many opportunities to serve the Lord through this Ministry. If God is leading you toward working with the Special Needs Ministry contact Patty Groot.