Inclusion is one of the areas of the Special Needs Ministry at SCC. We offer inclusion either with or without a buddy, depending on the needs of the child. When people hear that the goal is to have more Special Needs kids included in typical programming than have them in a specialized classroom, some people raise their eyebrows. I find it funny because inclusion is a priority for me and it is a vital part of the ministry (& the church as a whole).
I grew up knowing that God made everyone in His image and that people weren't all just like me but I don't remember being around people with disabilities. I wouldn't say that I was sheltered at all but I don't remember ever being around anyone with a disability until I was in Junior High. When I look at my own children, I find that they are completely oblivious to the fact that the children and adults I work with have disabilities. They see them the same way they see anyone else. Sure, their second home might be the Special Needs area here at the church, but they also have special needs kids in their classes and groups when they're in Sunday School. It's not anything for my 4 year old to be playing with a child who then starts to flap their arms because they got so excited.
A few weeks ago during our Easter Sunday programming, I had an unusual experience with including a child in typical programming. Since it was Easter, we had a lot of volunteers in the Preschool Department who were just filling in for a Sunday and didn't typically serve on a regular basis. We wanted to allow some of our higher functioning children to experience JAM Time (the FABULOUS preschool large group program) so a youth and I took a few kids upstairs to try it out. In JAM Time everyone sits on the floor so we found space towards the back of the room to allow for an easy exit if one of the kids got uncomfortable. (The kids we took upstairs were not preschool age but it was more appropriate for them to be in JAM Time rather than being in a setting where the lesson was taught in another manner.) After the songs were over, it was time for the lesson. J sat right down in the middle of a class of kids. Since there was action on the stage grabbing the kids' attention, they didn't even look twice at J. The volunteer, on the other hand, immediately became nervous. She wouldn't take her eyes off J. Every time he made any movement or responded in a loud voice to the questions asked from the stage, the volunteer would look back at me with eyes as if to say, "Aren't you going to do something?" (I was close enough to help but far enough back to give J his space.) At one point I did have to remind J to sit on his pockets so others could see but I never had to say anything else.
It was at that moment I realized just how lucky we are to have a program where kids like J are integrated flawlessly into typical programs. To the kids in the class he joined, he was just another body sitting beside them yelling "Jesus is ALIVE". To the teacher, who might not have ever been around anyone with special needs, he was a worry. As a parent, I want my kids to be so in tune with how the Lord created us all special in our own way that they don't think twice about being around someone who might not look the same way they do or do the same things they do.
Inclusion, in my opinion, is not only important for the special needs child but probably more important for the typical children they're around. For some, church might be the only place they have positive interaction with people with disabilities.
Lord please protect the eyes that don't see prejudices or differences and please start to soften the eyes that do.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Special Needs Sunday...part one
This past weekend was one to remember. We had our first Special Needs Sunday at Stonebriar Community Church. I'm going to have to break up the posts a bit. I'll write in this post about the highs of the weekend and in another post I'll give you the lows of the weekend. While the highs completely outweigh the lows, this blog is about sharing both sides of this ministry.
So back to the post...
Back in January, I met with my boss, the Children's Pastor, and we discussed plans for the Special Needs Ministry. Since he was new to the position, I decided to lay it all out. I told him my dream would be to have a Special Needs Sunday. While I was dreaming about the idea, he took it to our Senior Pastor and got two thumbs up. Next thing I knew I was finding a date and starting to put flesh to my dream.
Four months later on April 18, 2010, Stonebriar Community Church devoted an entire Sunday to the Special Needs Ministry. This has never been done and honestly I didn't think it ever would be done. The Worship Service at SCC is an untouchable piece of the puzzle. It is a sacred time when the congregation is led to worship and experience God in ways they might not in other areas of the church. It was my job to mix the Special Needs Ministry into the Worship Service without losing the sanctity of the morning. In my eyes, this was an easy task because I believe the worship of a child or adult with special needs is as close as you can get to honest and true worship the way it was meant to be. In the typical churchgoers eyes, however, this could be seen as a distraction or a show.
All in all, I think we did a good job of relaying our message of true worship to those in the service. We started out with a simple video that gave a little insight into the world of Autism. Following the video, Pastor Chuck interviewed me about the ministry and why we were doing what we were doing. This was just a way to give the nuts and bolts of the ministry and allow the congregation a way to be involved. Our kids, however, were the true heroes. We had one little girl with Autism sing "Tis So Sweet", bringing the congregation to their feet is a roar of applause. We also had an older teen lead the congregation in prayer. Finally, we had a whole group of kids and adults take up the offering while serving as ushers. They were perfect.
Again, the goal of the morning was not to bring pity to these kids and adults but to open the eyes of our congregation. We wanted them to experience worship through the eyes of a person with special needs. I think people who might have been turned off by differences in the beginning might be more open to the differences now.
So back to the post...
Back in January, I met with my boss, the Children's Pastor, and we discussed plans for the Special Needs Ministry. Since he was new to the position, I decided to lay it all out. I told him my dream would be to have a Special Needs Sunday. While I was dreaming about the idea, he took it to our Senior Pastor and got two thumbs up. Next thing I knew I was finding a date and starting to put flesh to my dream.
Four months later on April 18, 2010, Stonebriar Community Church devoted an entire Sunday to the Special Needs Ministry. This has never been done and honestly I didn't think it ever would be done. The Worship Service at SCC is an untouchable piece of the puzzle. It is a sacred time when the congregation is led to worship and experience God in ways they might not in other areas of the church. It was my job to mix the Special Needs Ministry into the Worship Service without losing the sanctity of the morning. In my eyes, this was an easy task because I believe the worship of a child or adult with special needs is as close as you can get to honest and true worship the way it was meant to be. In the typical churchgoers eyes, however, this could be seen as a distraction or a show.
All in all, I think we did a good job of relaying our message of true worship to those in the service. We started out with a simple video that gave a little insight into the world of Autism. Following the video, Pastor Chuck interviewed me about the ministry and why we were doing what we were doing. This was just a way to give the nuts and bolts of the ministry and allow the congregation a way to be involved. Our kids, however, were the true heroes. We had one little girl with Autism sing "Tis So Sweet", bringing the congregation to their feet is a roar of applause. We also had an older teen lead the congregation in prayer. Finally, we had a whole group of kids and adults take up the offering while serving as ushers. They were perfect.
Again, the goal of the morning was not to bring pity to these kids and adults but to open the eyes of our congregation. We wanted them to experience worship through the eyes of a person with special needs. I think people who might have been turned off by differences in the beginning might be more open to the differences now.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Grieving (Understanding Parents)
One of the main aspects of having a Special Needs Ministry is working with the parents. They are the ones who need someone to listen to them, someone to understand, and someone to turn to when there seems to be no one left. I love building relationships with the parents and find that they are the ones who move the ministry in the direction it needs to be going.
I had lunch with a mom of a special needs child yesterday. Something she said has resonated with me for 24 hours and has given me more insight into the world of special needs than anything else. She started off by saying, "Parents of special needs children are going through the grieving process." I thought, I know that. I've heard that for years. It wasn't until she continued with her thought that I thought, wow, now THAT'S it. She continued to say that they start grieving when their child is diagnosed and might go through the set steps to grief but they don't stop there. Each time there is an event in which their child's disability is brought to light again, they start fresh with grieving. She was so true. Let me expand on it a little.
I have a typical child. He mastered his first word at 9 months and we were thrilled. He started walking at 16 months, again we were thrilled and probably blogged all about it. This past December, he performed in his first class program up on stage. Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks as he stood up there dressed like a donkey singing about Jesus. I can't wait for him to start Kindergarten in a year, play his first t-ball game, and even have his first little crush. All of these things make my eyes light up.
Now I have many friends (parents of my special needs kids whom I call friends) who have special needs children. In talking with them, I've heard the heartache associated with simple milestones. They experience the first day of school in a different way. It might not be a joyous event. It might be hard knowing what their child is going to have to go through. They hear of the school program coming up and grimace because they know their child will probably not want to be anywhere near the other kids on the stage. If they do choose to be on the stage, they might not be singing like the other kids. To think of the events to come, they have a sense of loss. The dreams of watching their son be the star pitcher of the baseball team or their daughter being Homecoming Queen might not ever come to be. This is grief revisited. Grieving the dreams, the simple milestones, and the expectations. The amazing turn is that many of the families I know eventually find a way to look at the expectations and milestones though different lenses. They make a deliberate choice to focus on what their child can do and how much they have accomplished. While it's not always easy, that is what they have to do and they do it.
How blessed are we to work with such strong parents? I'm blessed beyond measure. Each day I only hope that I can gain a little more insight into their world. I don't ever want to pretend I know what they're going through because I probably never will. I do, however, want to become more in tune to what they're dealing with, in order to help me minister to them in a more effective way.
I had lunch with a mom of a special needs child yesterday. Something she said has resonated with me for 24 hours and has given me more insight into the world of special needs than anything else. She started off by saying, "Parents of special needs children are going through the grieving process." I thought, I know that. I've heard that for years. It wasn't until she continued with her thought that I thought, wow, now THAT'S it. She continued to say that they start grieving when their child is diagnosed and might go through the set steps to grief but they don't stop there. Each time there is an event in which their child's disability is brought to light again, they start fresh with grieving. She was so true. Let me expand on it a little.
I have a typical child. He mastered his first word at 9 months and we were thrilled. He started walking at 16 months, again we were thrilled and probably blogged all about it. This past December, he performed in his first class program up on stage. Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks as he stood up there dressed like a donkey singing about Jesus. I can't wait for him to start Kindergarten in a year, play his first t-ball game, and even have his first little crush. All of these things make my eyes light up.
Now I have many friends (parents of my special needs kids whom I call friends) who have special needs children. In talking with them, I've heard the heartache associated with simple milestones. They experience the first day of school in a different way. It might not be a joyous event. It might be hard knowing what their child is going to have to go through. They hear of the school program coming up and grimace because they know their child will probably not want to be anywhere near the other kids on the stage. If they do choose to be on the stage, they might not be singing like the other kids. To think of the events to come, they have a sense of loss. The dreams of watching their son be the star pitcher of the baseball team or their daughter being Homecoming Queen might not ever come to be. This is grief revisited. Grieving the dreams, the simple milestones, and the expectations. The amazing turn is that many of the families I know eventually find a way to look at the expectations and milestones though different lenses. They make a deliberate choice to focus on what their child can do and how much they have accomplished. While it's not always easy, that is what they have to do and they do it.
How blessed are we to work with such strong parents? I'm blessed beyond measure. Each day I only hope that I can gain a little more insight into their world. I don't ever want to pretend I know what they're going through because I probably never will. I do, however, want to become more in tune to what they're dealing with, in order to help me minister to them in a more effective way.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Plunging into Craziness
I'm going to give you a little taste into the typical Sunday in the Special Needs Ministry here at SCC. I share this with you so you'll see the reality of SN Ministry. Most books that you read about SN Ministry, you hear the joys and how the Lord will bless you for taking in the shunned. By the time you've finished reading up on the ministry, you'll have a warm and fuzzy feeling and be ready to open your doors to the world. I want to paint you a picture of the reality of SN Ministry, not to discourage you but to educate you before you jump in.
One Sunday we had a prime example of the craziness SN Ministry has to offer. During our first service we only had 5 kids in the SN Classroom (not including the kids included in typical programming throughout the building). If you're like me, you think 5 kids...piece of cake. I could name off multiple groupings of 5 of our special needs kids that would make a perfect morning. There are several who would sit and read with a volunteer, maybe play contently in the sensory room, or be totally engulfed in the craft for the morning you wouldn't know they had sensory issues. These were not the five in our room that morning. We had two who were attacking anything standing still long enough to be attacked, one desperately wanting certain male volunteers to play with her while ignoring the attempts of the female volunteers to engage her, another who played well in the beginning but his smile could turn to a frown in a heartbeat therefore causing him to want to attack anything around, and another who was content but easily frustrated at the other kids' lack of order. Five kids felt like fifty.
How did we spend the morning? We did damage control. There are some mornings you'll find you're just putting out fires and not getting to anything you wanted to do. At one point I had to just laugh. As crazy as everything was, this was fun. This was what I was created to do. I changed a horrible diaper, walked back into the room to barely catch the toy shelf one tried to knock over, just in time to catch the other one trying to jump high enough to reach the light for a quick swing, and ended with all the volunteers singing and dancing with the music/story teacher who rotates into our class during the last 10 minutes. All in all it was one of the most enjoyable, yet exhausting, days I've had. By the end of the morning, all of the kids were safe and cared for. I know they heard that they are loved and created perfectly in the image of Christ, even if it was while we were changing a diaper or picking up chairs.
Again, I tell you this story not to scare you away from SN Ministry but to encourage you with the truth of disability...you'll never have a typical Sunday, you'll never know if five will feel like fifty, and you'll always have parents who wouldn't be able to worship without this ministry. If you're like me, the excitement and thrill of the unknown will make you want to take the plunge but at least you're going in fully aware of the craziness that is waiting to engulf you. Like I always say, "Bring on the craziness!!!"
One Sunday we had a prime example of the craziness SN Ministry has to offer. During our first service we only had 5 kids in the SN Classroom (not including the kids included in typical programming throughout the building). If you're like me, you think 5 kids...piece of cake. I could name off multiple groupings of 5 of our special needs kids that would make a perfect morning. There are several who would sit and read with a volunteer, maybe play contently in the sensory room, or be totally engulfed in the craft for the morning you wouldn't know they had sensory issues. These were not the five in our room that morning. We had two who were attacking anything standing still long enough to be attacked, one desperately wanting certain male volunteers to play with her while ignoring the attempts of the female volunteers to engage her, another who played well in the beginning but his smile could turn to a frown in a heartbeat therefore causing him to want to attack anything around, and another who was content but easily frustrated at the other kids' lack of order. Five kids felt like fifty.
How did we spend the morning? We did damage control. There are some mornings you'll find you're just putting out fires and not getting to anything you wanted to do. At one point I had to just laugh. As crazy as everything was, this was fun. This was what I was created to do. I changed a horrible diaper, walked back into the room to barely catch the toy shelf one tried to knock over, just in time to catch the other one trying to jump high enough to reach the light for a quick swing, and ended with all the volunteers singing and dancing with the music/story teacher who rotates into our class during the last 10 minutes. All in all it was one of the most enjoyable, yet exhausting, days I've had. By the end of the morning, all of the kids were safe and cared for. I know they heard that they are loved and created perfectly in the image of Christ, even if it was while we were changing a diaper or picking up chairs.
Again, I tell you this story not to scare you away from SN Ministry but to encourage you with the truth of disability...you'll never have a typical Sunday, you'll never know if five will feel like fifty, and you'll always have parents who wouldn't be able to worship without this ministry. If you're like me, the excitement and thrill of the unknown will make you want to take the plunge but at least you're going in fully aware of the craziness that is waiting to engulf you. Like I always say, "Bring on the craziness!!!"
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Youth Volunteers
The Special Needs Ministry at SCC has a LOT of youth volunteers. In our church, once you go into 5th grade, you are encouraged to begin serving somewhere. I've found that we tend to have a lot of kids interested in serving in the SN Ministry. I'm not sure if it's because we have the most "toys" in our room or if it's because these kids truly have a desire to work with special needs kids. Either way, we LOVE having them and find that many of them stay serving in the SN Ministry until they graduate from High School. We have very low turn-over with our youth.
I've found that the youth are some of the best volunteers you can get. We try to use our youth mainly as buddies. Our kids seem to respond better when one of their peers (slightly older but still a peer) is guiding them in a typical classroom setting rather than an adult. Isn't that how it always is, kids will listen to guidance from peers but tend to shun it off when mom or dad give them the same advice? We've also found just by having peer there it seems to take the differences away. Other kids in the classroom are more apt to come up and start visiting with the special needs child as opposed to when an adult is there.
Our youth volunteers make up probably 50% of our volunteer pool. They are the backbone of this ministry. They're the ones down on the ground interacting with the kids. They're the ones following the kids around to make sure they don't escape. They're the ones building friendships with kids they might have never taken the time to get to know.
If you have a way to tap into the youth of your church, you'll find some jewels. You'll be gaining volunteers while they'll be gaining experience in working with people who are different than they are. You'll find that the benefits are great on both ends.
I've found that the youth are some of the best volunteers you can get. We try to use our youth mainly as buddies. Our kids seem to respond better when one of their peers (slightly older but still a peer) is guiding them in a typical classroom setting rather than an adult. Isn't that how it always is, kids will listen to guidance from peers but tend to shun it off when mom or dad give them the same advice? We've also found just by having peer there it seems to take the differences away. Other kids in the classroom are more apt to come up and start visiting with the special needs child as opposed to when an adult is there.
Our youth volunteers make up probably 50% of our volunteer pool. They are the backbone of this ministry. They're the ones down on the ground interacting with the kids. They're the ones following the kids around to make sure they don't escape. They're the ones building friendships with kids they might have never taken the time to get to know.
It's an honor to serve alongside the youth of the SN Ministry. They are great examples and I'm always proud to say that they're MY youth.
If you have a way to tap into the youth of your church, you'll find some jewels. You'll be gaining volunteers while they'll be gaining experience in working with people who are different than they are. You'll find that the benefits are great on both ends.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Volunteers
How do you get volunteers? If you're going to ask a loaded question, that's the one to ask. Mention the word "volunteers" to anyone working in a church and you'll most likely hear nervous laughter. We laugh because volunteers (or the lack thereof) tend to be the thorn in our sides. We never have enough volunteers, we never have the right volunteers, or we can't ever hang onto the "perfect" volunteers. It's always something.
I've found it's the opposite in Special Needs. The volunteers we have are the cream of the crop. We attract the most dedicated volunteers. I have volunteers who have been with this ministry since the beginning and they wouldn't think of leaving. Someone who is willing to put up with all kinds of craziness for an hour and a half every Sunday or every other Sunday would have to be dedicated to the cause in order to come back again and again.
Special Needs is the one area in which we have to be really picky about who can volunteer. I'm not saying that I've turned away help but we can't just take any willing body, stick them in a Special Needs classroom for an hour, and expect them to thrive. There are, however, certain people that are drawn to it. These are the ones who have a heart the size of Texas and will stick with you through thick and thin.
You have to remember to treat your volunteers well. While serving is an act of worship, it doesn't come natural to most. Remember to pamper your volunteers and make them feel like they're needed. There is not an activity that goes by without the support of volunteers but too often I'm too busy to let them know how precious they are to me. It's the little connections that keep them coming back. If you are genuinely interested in their lives and their families, they'll support you 110%.
I've found it's the opposite in Special Needs. The volunteers we have are the cream of the crop. We attract the most dedicated volunteers. I have volunteers who have been with this ministry since the beginning and they wouldn't think of leaving. Someone who is willing to put up with all kinds of craziness for an hour and a half every Sunday or every other Sunday would have to be dedicated to the cause in order to come back again and again.
Special Needs is the one area in which we have to be really picky about who can volunteer. I'm not saying that I've turned away help but we can't just take any willing body, stick them in a Special Needs classroom for an hour, and expect them to thrive. There are, however, certain people that are drawn to it. These are the ones who have a heart the size of Texas and will stick with you through thick and thin.
You have to remember to treat your volunteers well. While serving is an act of worship, it doesn't come natural to most. Remember to pamper your volunteers and make them feel like they're needed. There is not an activity that goes by without the support of volunteers but too often I'm too busy to let them know how precious they are to me. It's the little connections that keep them coming back. If you are genuinely interested in their lives and their families, they'll support you 110%.
Respite Ministry
One of the most popular programs of the Special Needs Ministry here at SCC is our Respite Ministry, or FunZone as many know it. We have FunZone on the 2nd Saturday of the month, September through May. It's basically a four hour time slot (5pm-9pm) when parents can drop off their special needs children and siblings while they go out and enjoy some time to themselves.
When I describe FunZone to someone who has never participated in it, I describe it as "organized chaos". We open up the entire 1st floor of the Preschool Building and allow the children to just play. We have special areas set up with crafts, games, and Wii but generally they're allowed to come and go through the activities as they wish. We have a movie that starts half way through the event but, other than special programs coming in, we don't have a set schedule. We feel these kids are structured so much of the time, this is a good time for them to just be free. You'll read below that they are paired one-on-one with volunteers so we don't just let them roam free alone.
There are several different aspects of FunZone. When you're setting up a respite ministry, you have to decide what works for your church, your families, and your volunteers. There is not one way to do it, just some basics you might want to consider when planning a program.
1. Dates: We have set FunZone to ALWAYS be on the 2nd Saturday of the month. This makes it easy for families and volunteers to plan. The 2nd Saturday won't ever conflict with Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years. It occasionally lands on Valentine's Day (which is a HUGE blessing for the parents and but not quite the blessing for the volunteers/staff), generally always lands the weekend starting Spring Break, and might land on Easter weekend. We have cancelled FunZone in the past because it has landed on Easter weekend. I'm not sure if we'd do that again but it is something to consider (both the participation of the families and the ability to get volunteers).
2. Time: We have always had a 4 hour FunZone. If you're a parent, you know that it generally takes you at least an hour to decompress well enough to start enjoying yourself. We want to give the parents as much time as possible without putting huge burdens on our volunteers. We've found that four hours is the perfect compromise. It makes it worth it for both the parents and the volunteers.
3. Volunteers: We pair up our special needs children and siblings on a tight ratio. We generally have a 1:1 ratio but might stretch to a 1:2 ratio for siblings if we are short on volunteers. We have found it is important for the safety of the kids to have one volunteer who is just there for them. Since our FunZone concept is "organized chaos", having a 1:1 ratio keeps everybody safe and still allows them to have a lot of fun and attention.
4. Meals: Since we start FunZone at 5pm, we find it necessary to feed our volunteers and allow the children to bring dinner to eat. We try to have the volunteers and kids go directly to the Meal Room when they arrive so we can get dinner out of the way and cleaned up rather than having it drag out. The volunteers are fed by our Women's Ministry Bible Studies and the kids are instructed to bring their own food. With so many allergies and picky eaters, we have stayed away from feeding the kids. It would just be a nightmare for us to try to sort everything out so we find it's easier this way. If a volunteer is assigned to a child who will not eat, ate before they came, or tends to not ever sit still, we'll use our floaters to help "relieve" those volunteers while they take a break to eat.
5. Invitations/Wait List: As a church, we decided that our goal is not to be a babysitting agency for special needs kids but to be a church that ministers to the family as a whole. When we decided this, we made the decision to make FunZone by invitation only. You'll get an invitation to FunZone if you have participated in a ministry of Stonebriar Community Church in the past 2 months. This gives enough time for families who have sick kids but also encourages people to be involved. We want this to be something that we can minister to the families though. If families just drop off and pick up every 2nd Saturday of the month, we're not able to make a connection and that was going against our values. Even with the invitation only system, we do still almost always have a wait list. We have made the commitment that safety of the kids is more important to us than letting everyone have a spot. This month, in fact, we have 32 kids on our wait list right now for FunZone on Saturday. I'm not worried because God always provides. We put the word out and volunteers come. I don't think we've ever had to turn kids away.
You might be asking, "Why would you do a program that takes so many volunteers, so much effort, and is so crazy?" The answer is easy....it's all for the parents. To see the drastic change in the face of a parent at drop off compared to pick up is amazing. Some will rush in with the kids barely noticing that their spouse is beside them. When they come to pick up, they'll be holding hands and looked like they just had a week long vacation. In that moment, everything is worth it.
When I describe FunZone to someone who has never participated in it, I describe it as "organized chaos". We open up the entire 1st floor of the Preschool Building and allow the children to just play. We have special areas set up with crafts, games, and Wii but generally they're allowed to come and go through the activities as they wish. We have a movie that starts half way through the event but, other than special programs coming in, we don't have a set schedule. We feel these kids are structured so much of the time, this is a good time for them to just be free. You'll read below that they are paired one-on-one with volunteers so we don't just let them roam free alone.
There are several different aspects of FunZone. When you're setting up a respite ministry, you have to decide what works for your church, your families, and your volunteers. There is not one way to do it, just some basics you might want to consider when planning a program.
1. Dates: We have set FunZone to ALWAYS be on the 2nd Saturday of the month. This makes it easy for families and volunteers to plan. The 2nd Saturday won't ever conflict with Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years. It occasionally lands on Valentine's Day (which is a HUGE blessing for the parents and but not quite the blessing for the volunteers/staff), generally always lands the weekend starting Spring Break, and might land on Easter weekend. We have cancelled FunZone in the past because it has landed on Easter weekend. I'm not sure if we'd do that again but it is something to consider (both the participation of the families and the ability to get volunteers).
2. Time: We have always had a 4 hour FunZone. If you're a parent, you know that it generally takes you at least an hour to decompress well enough to start enjoying yourself. We want to give the parents as much time as possible without putting huge burdens on our volunteers. We've found that four hours is the perfect compromise. It makes it worth it for both the parents and the volunteers.
3. Volunteers: We pair up our special needs children and siblings on a tight ratio. We generally have a 1:1 ratio but might stretch to a 1:2 ratio for siblings if we are short on volunteers. We have found it is important for the safety of the kids to have one volunteer who is just there for them. Since our FunZone concept is "organized chaos", having a 1:1 ratio keeps everybody safe and still allows them to have a lot of fun and attention.
4. Meals: Since we start FunZone at 5pm, we find it necessary to feed our volunteers and allow the children to bring dinner to eat. We try to have the volunteers and kids go directly to the Meal Room when they arrive so we can get dinner out of the way and cleaned up rather than having it drag out. The volunteers are fed by our Women's Ministry Bible Studies and the kids are instructed to bring their own food. With so many allergies and picky eaters, we have stayed away from feeding the kids. It would just be a nightmare for us to try to sort everything out so we find it's easier this way. If a volunteer is assigned to a child who will not eat, ate before they came, or tends to not ever sit still, we'll use our floaters to help "relieve" those volunteers while they take a break to eat.
5. Invitations/Wait List: As a church, we decided that our goal is not to be a babysitting agency for special needs kids but to be a church that ministers to the family as a whole. When we decided this, we made the decision to make FunZone by invitation only. You'll get an invitation to FunZone if you have participated in a ministry of Stonebriar Community Church in the past 2 months. This gives enough time for families who have sick kids but also encourages people to be involved. We want this to be something that we can minister to the families though. If families just drop off and pick up every 2nd Saturday of the month, we're not able to make a connection and that was going against our values. Even with the invitation only system, we do still almost always have a wait list. We have made the commitment that safety of the kids is more important to us than letting everyone have a spot. This month, in fact, we have 32 kids on our wait list right now for FunZone on Saturday. I'm not worried because God always provides. We put the word out and volunteers come. I don't think we've ever had to turn kids away.
You might be asking, "Why would you do a program that takes so many volunteers, so much effort, and is so crazy?" The answer is easy....it's all for the parents. To see the drastic change in the face of a parent at drop off compared to pick up is amazing. Some will rush in with the kids barely noticing that their spouse is beside them. When they come to pick up, they'll be holding hands and looked like they just had a week long vacation. In that moment, everything is worth it.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
10%
Today I attended a luncheon for Joni & Friends. They had a video presentation of the various ministries they are involved in to let those present know how they're working in the disability communities around the United States and the world. One simple statistic they showed has stuck with me.
"Only 10% of those with a disability will ever hear the Gospel message."
Wow! If that is not enough to make you want to reach out to those with disabilities, I don't know what is. There is such a large population of people in our own backyards that have not heard the Good News.
As we're entering into Easter weekend, I am continually brought to tears simply thinking about Christ loving me enough to die on the cross for my sins. I can't imagine there are so many people with disabilities who have never heard that Christ loves them that much too. Granted we might never know whether some with disabilities have trusted Christ as their savior. Some cannot communicate their beliefs verbally, some may not seem to understand the words we're saying, and some might not ever be able to state in simple words that they trust in Christ but who are we to not ever give God the opportunity to work in their lives? This brings me back to our vision. We have a precious opportunity to share with every child and adult with disabilities who comes into our building that God loves them and made them perfect in His image.
My prayer is that we'll be able to have the opportunity to reach the 90% that are out there longing to be loved and accepted.
"Only 10% of those with a disability will ever hear the Gospel message."
Wow! If that is not enough to make you want to reach out to those with disabilities, I don't know what is. There is such a large population of people in our own backyards that have not heard the Good News.
As we're entering into Easter weekend, I am continually brought to tears simply thinking about Christ loving me enough to die on the cross for my sins. I can't imagine there are so many people with disabilities who have never heard that Christ loves them that much too. Granted we might never know whether some with disabilities have trusted Christ as their savior. Some cannot communicate their beliefs verbally, some may not seem to understand the words we're saying, and some might not ever be able to state in simple words that they trust in Christ but who are we to not ever give God the opportunity to work in their lives? This brings me back to our vision. We have a precious opportunity to share with every child and adult with disabilities who comes into our building that God loves them and made them perfect in His image.
My prayer is that we'll be able to have the opportunity to reach the 90% that are out there longing to be loved and accepted.
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