fishing derby & disability service same weekend

[Guest guest]

PLEASE POST/FORWARD FOR FAMILIES WITH DISABILITIES

 

INFO BELOW IS ABOUT

WILLOW CREEK FISHING DERBY JUNE 11, BARRINGTON IL

CHURCH SERVICE ON DISABILITY AWARENESS  JUNE 11

GENERAL INFO ON WILLOW CREEK IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN

 

Saturday, June 11 FISHING DERBY -- FREE

Fishing: 8:30–11:30 a.m. at the lake. (Poles and bait are provided.)

All fish caught at the Fishing Derby will be photographed and returned to the

lake.

 

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. with hamburgers, brats, and hot dogs—served

ballpark

style.

 

Registration http://www.willowcreek.org/fishingderby

This event is free, however, please help us plan ahead by registering your

family or group by Friday, June 5.

Volunteer Registration

Help our guests have a great experience by volunteering. We have a variety of

opportunities ranging being a fishing buddy to helping serve our guests lunch.

For questions, contact fishingderby@... or call 224-512-1242.

Disability service will be held the same weekend

http://www.willowcreek.org/colson

June 11/12: Dancing with Max

Chuck Colson, former White House special counsel and founder of Breakpoint

Ministries, visits Willow Creek with his daughter, , to share the

unexpected joy they have found in Max, ’s son who has autism. ,

author

of Dancing with Max, addresses the challenges, insights, and deep spiritual

truths that come from loving a child born with a disability.

Assistance

If you are bringing someone with special needs to a weekend service on June

11/12, we would love to know. Please complete the Disabilities Assistance Form

so we know how to best serve you and your guests.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

I've never been to Willow Creek, but I plan to come to hear Colson on the

weekend of June 11/12. Where is the best place to park?

Park in the “D†parking lot or use our FastTrac parking off Barrington Road

just

south of Algonquin Road. (A free shuttle will drop you at the door and return

you to your car after the service.)

Once I’m at the church, where do I go?

If you plan to park in the main parking area, please come in through Entrance

“D.†(All doors are marked with letters.) If you are coming on the shuttle,

you

will come in through Entrance “E.â€

Either entrance will bring you directly into the Main Lobby. If you are a family

with special needs, please look for the area marked “First-time Families.â€

Guest

hosts will be there to help you.

If I bring my loved one with special needs, what options will they have for

participating in church worship?

To serve you and your family this weekend, we have several options for enjoying

the service.

1. You may sit wherever you’d like in our auditorium, but you may enjoy the

service with your family from the main floor of the auditorium in either of two

sections reserved for families with special needs. These areas provide easy

access to exits if you need to step in & out of the service.

2. If your kids need room to wiggle or eat a snack, view the service with your

family in the relaxed environment of the Atrium.

3. If your child with special needs would prefer to enjoy their own program

while you attend the service, they’re invited to be a part of Promiseland.

When

checking your child into their Promiseland room, please let the volunteer know

what your child’s special needs are.

4. For teens or adults with special needs, who would prefer their own program,

Friendship Club offers a worship service that meets during the main 5:30 p.m.

service on Saturdays. For Sunday services on June 12, a host will guide you and

your teen/adult to an alternative option designed especially for this weekend.

Do I need to contact someone at the church if I'm bringing a child/teen/adult

with special needs on June 11/12?

In order to best serve your family and your loved one with special needs, it

would be helpful to know in advance so we can have enough volunteers ready.

Letting us know is easy.

 

* If you are bringing a child (infant–Grade 5), simply contact or call

224-512-1546.

* If you are bringing a student older than Grade 5 or an adult who will need a

one-to-one buddy or a special program, contact .

* If your friends or family plan to sit with you in the Main Auditorium during

the service, you do not need to contact us. Just show up and know you are

welcome!

How can I get my family connected to the Special Friends ministry at Willow

Creek?

On June 11/12, caretakers, families, and parents are invited to join us at a

special reception in Guest Central following each service. At the reception, you

may interact with parents who are a part of the Special Friends ministry, learn

about current, upcoming events and groups, and enjoy light refreshments. Please

pick up any children/students at the same place where you checked them in. Then

come to Guest Central. You are welcome to attend our annual Special Friends

Fishing Derby on Saturday morning, June 11.

Willow Creek offers Friendship Club

Friendship Club is a worship service that meets during the main 5:30 p.m.

service on Saturdays. For Sunday services on June 12, a host will guide you and

your teen/adult to an alternative option designed especially for this weekend.

You are welcome to attend our annual Special Friends Fishing Derby on Saturday

morning, June 11.

I do not have a family member with special needs, but I would like to know more

about Special Friends. What can I do? How can I help?

We are always on the lookout for caring individuals who are interested in

serving with the Special Friends ministry. You are welcome to join us after the

church services on June 11/12 to hear about our current groups and meet families

and volunteers who are already involved. You may also email Special Friends to

let us know you'd like to serve, or sign up to be a volunteer

 

http://www.willowcreek.org/story.aspx?storyid=913

An Interview with Colson

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate the prevalence of

autism is on the rise. Approximately 20 years ago, only one in 10,000 children

were diagnosed with autism. Today it strikes one in 110 American children, and

one in 70 boys. 

Max is one of them. 

Max’s mother is Colson, the author of Dancing with Max: A Mother and

Son

Who Broke Free. Within the pages of the book, captures stories from

Max’s

life that reveal the unexpected joy that comes from loving a child with special

needs.

Willow Creek had the privilege of interviewing this extraordinary woman and

mother to get a close-up view of her life with Max.

Willow Creek: After Max was diagnosed with autism, what kind of support did you

get?

Colson: Max was diagnosed about 16 years ago, I was desperate for

information, but there weren’t many resources available. So I did the only

things I could do—I went to support groups to meet other parents, asked

teachers, went to libraries to search for information, signed up for

conferences, hunted down specialists, and subscribed to medical journals. I did

whatever I could. I was desperate.

Willow: What did you learn?

: There is no set formula for treating autism. What one child responds to,

another one doesn’t, so as parents, we’re in a tough spot. How do we decide

what

treatment to pursue? Even after we’ve made a decision, we wonder if we’ve

chosen

the right one.

Willow: How do you handle it?

: God has taken me from the pit, a place I thought I’d be for the rest of

my life, and He has given us a story of great hope so we can be an encouragement

to others. I’ve seen firsthand the beautiful things God has done, and I

remember

that, or try to remember that, when I start to slip into fear. I can be a

scaredy cat, so every day I tell myself: “This is my last day alive. Don’t

waste

it.†It’s a little bit of a cliché when things are going well, but when

life is

tough this perspective can change everything.

When I was in what I call the “rocking chair†pit—back when Max was nine

and the

autism was most severe—back when we were living as hostages of our

circumstances, I held on to one thing. I saw what God had done in my Dad’s

life—he was in prison. At the bottom. Everything had crashed. And that’s

exactly

what God used to create Prison Fellowship, a ministry that brings hope and

encouragement to others. I’d seen it happen. When I sat behind closed doors

in

my rocking chair looking at four walls, I knew it was possible to get out, even

though I didn’t know how.

I had to say yes to God. I had to say, “I’m not going to stay here. I’m

going to

get up and find out what You have in mind and what You have planned for our

lives.†I wasn’t going to give up, even though I didn’t know how I was

going to

keep going.

Willow: What can you say to those of us who don’t know or understand the

struggles of living with autism?

: I understand that people can be frightened of autism: the unusual

behavior, the unique interests, and the difficulty with social interactions.

Because people don’t want to do the wrong thing, they do nothing. When we

encounter someone who has special needs, often something in our brain shuts down

because we don’t know anything about it. It’s not our world. A switch turns

off

and we don’t connect with it. But our families desperately need the

connections.

We don’t want to do this alone. We love our children, and we want others to

love

them too.

Willow: What could someone do to help an individual with special needs or their

family?

: There are many things people can do that don’t require them to know

anything about autism. All it takes is one person reaching out to transform a

family’s life. Just call a family and say, “I’m raising my hand to be on

your

team. I don’t know anything about autism, but I’d love to call you every

week or

two to let you know I’m here if you need anything.â€

Everything we do that we take for granted is a challenge for a family with

autism. People could offer to do grocery shopping or run errands for a family,

especially a single parent. I spent years not being able to do simple errands or

go to the store because it was too complicated. When I ran out of milk, I called

a local pizza place and asked how many cartons of milk they had. I’d order

it—sometimes along with a pizza—just to replenish our milk supply. Someone

in

the church—the body of Christ—could be available to run these kinds of

errands.

Or they could accompany a family to a doctor’s appointment or a meeting at

school—just to take notes. 

Willow: What is one of the biggest, and least spoken about, challenges facing

families dealing with autism or special needs?

: Isolation. One thing that could change a family’s life is to help them

know they’re not alone. They already feel their life is so different from

everyone else’s and that no one could understand or believe it. People with

disabled family members often become isolated. And when we’re isolated, our

problems grow to fill the empty space. Thinking no one understands can quickly

snowball into believing no one cares.

Willow: How do autism and other disabilities affect the church?

: Disability is a huge issue. In her book All God’s Children, Joni

kson

Tada says 95 percent of individuals with disabilities (both children and adults)

are not connected to a church. 95 percent! That number reflects millions of

people who are detached from community with the body of Christ. I see this is as

a huge opportunity for the church to be Jesus to others. And in the process of

serving those in need, we are the ones changed. That’s the real surprise. We

learn about compassion and love and selflessness and joy—characteristics

crucial

for the health of the church.

 Willow: Your church has supported you and Max in your journey. How can Willow

Creek (and other churches) be there to support those in our communities who have

family members with disabilities?

 

: The church is the one place where families want to know they’re

welcome,

they belong, and have a place. My prayer is that those who know and love Jesus

will be first in line to say, “We get it. These are life issues, and as

Christians, we stand for life.†That kind of attitude can transform a church.

 

Willow Creek’s Special Friends Ministry is committed to reaching families

and

individuals affected by disability and helping them move toward Christ as they

engage in our church.

Believing that we are all made in the image of God—made to know Him, love Him,

and connect in community, we serve those in the disabled community with the

following resources.

* Eagle’s Nest: Small groups that provide spiritual support and community for

parents of children with special needs. Offered every other Saturday at 3:30

p.m.

* Eagle’s Nest Kids: A program of Bible teaching, worship, and creative play

for their children. Offered every other Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

* Friendship Club: An alternative worship service on Saturday

nights for junior

high-aged students and adults with more significant developmental delays.

* Living Stones: A group of more functionally independent, young adults with

developmental delays who meet for Bible study on Wednesday evenings. Wednesdays

during Midweek Classes.

* Promiseland Inclusion: A program that matches kids who need the support of a

one-on-one “buddy†with a consistent volunteer who can help them fully

participate in Promiseland. Promiseland is Willow’s children’s ministry

available during weekend services.

* Special Friends Community: A monthly outreach to adults with developmental

delays who live in residential/group homes in area communities. First Monday of

the month at 7 p.m. in the Chapel.

Through adapted curricula, safe and accommodating environments, and loving

volunteers, children and adults with disabilities are welcomed into the

community of believers at our church to learn to love Jesus.

There are families and individuals affected by disability who are just waiting

to be invited here. Perhaps their experience with God’s people hasn’t been a

very good one so far. At best, they’ve been ignored; or worse, they’ve been

uninvited because there were no programs to accommodate their special needs.

Special Friends Ministry Volunteer Opportunities

Willow Creek is growing its heart and learning what it takes to become a

welcoming place for the disability community. So go ahead and invite your

neighbor! Many of the volunteers in Willow’s disability ministry have

considerable personal and professional experience when it comes to working with

disabilities. Other volunteers come to serve with no experience or formal

training. But both types of volunteers have one thing in common—a heart for

those with disabilities. That’s all you need to join us. There’s no need to

hesitate because you’ve never had any experience with disabilities. We’ll

provide all the training you need.

Visit our open positions on the Volunteer Page.

[Guest guest]

Here is a little more comprehensive information about the fishing derby.

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

fishing derby & disability service same weekend

PLEASE POST/FORWARD FOR FAMILIES WITH DISABILITIES

INFO BELOW IS ABOUT

WILLOW CREEK FISHING DERBY JUNE 11, BARRINGTON IL

CHURCH SERVICE ON DISABILITY AWARENESS JUNE 11

GENERAL INFO ON WILLOW CREEK IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN

Saturday, June 11 FISHING DERBY -- FREE

Fishing: 8:30–11:30 a.m. at the lake. (Poles and bait are provided.)

All fish caught at the Fishing Derby will be photographed and returned to the

lake.

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. with hamburgers, brats, and hot dogs—served

ballpark style.

Registration http://www.willowcreek.org/fishingderby

This event is free, however, please help us plan ahead by registering your

family or group by Friday, June 5.

Volunteer Registration

Help our guests have a great experience by volunteering. We have a variety of

opportunities ranging being a fishing buddy to helping serve our guests lunch.

For questions, contact fishingderby@... or call 224-512-1242.

Disability service will be held the same weekend

http://www.willowcreek.org/colson

June 11/12: Dancing with Max

Chuck Colson, former White House special counsel and founder of Breakpoint

Ministries, visits Willow Creek with his daughter, , to share the

unexpected joy they have found in Max, ’s son who has autism. ,

author of Dancing with Max, addresses the challenges, insights, and deep

spiritual truths that come from loving a child born with a disability.

Assistance

If you are bringing someone with special needs to a weekend service on June

11/12, we would love to know. Please complete the Disabilities Assistance Form

so we know how to best serve you and your guests.

Frequently Asked Questions

I've never been to Willow Creek, but I plan to come to hear Colson on the

weekend of June 11/12. Where is the best place to park?

Park in the “D†parking lot or use our FastTrac parking off Barrington Road

just south of Algonquin Road. (A free shuttle will drop you at the door and

return you to your car after the service.)

Once I’m at the church, where do I go?

If you plan to park in the main parking area, please come in through Entrance

“D.†(All doors are marked with letters.) If you are coming on the shuttle,

you will come in through Entrance “E.â€

Either entrance will bring you directly into the Main Lobby. If you are a family

with special needs, please look for the area marked “First-time Families.â€

Guest hosts will be there to help you.

If I bring my loved one with special needs, what options will they have for

participating in church worship?

To serve you and your family this weekend, we have several options for enjoying

the service.

1.. You may sit wherever you’d like in our auditorium, but you may enjoy the

service with your family from the main floor of the auditorium in either of two

sections reserved for families with special needs. These areas provide easy

access to exits if you need to step in & out of the service.

2.. If your kids need room to wiggle or eat a snack, view the service with

your family in the relaxed environment of the Atrium.

3.. If your child with special needs would prefer to enjoy their own program

while you attend the service, they’re invited to be a part of Promiseland.

When checking your child into their Promiseland room, please let the volunteer

know what your child’s special needs are.

4.. For teens or adults with special needs, who would prefer their own

program, Friendship Club offers a worship service that meets during the main

5:30 p.m. service on Saturdays. For Sunday services on June 12, a host will

guide you and your teen/adult to an alternative option designed especially for

this weekend.

Do I need to contact someone at the church if I'm bringing a child/teen/adult

with special needs on June 11/12?

In order to best serve your family and your loved one with special needs, it

would be helpful to know in advance so we can have enough volunteers ready.

Letting us know is easy.

a.. If you are bringing a child (infant–Grade 5), simply contact or

call 224-512-1546.

b.. If you are bringing a student older than Grade 5 or an adult who will need

a one-to-one buddy or a special program, contact .

c.. If your friends or family plan to sit with you in the Main Auditorium

during the service, you do not need to contact us. Just show up and know you are

welcome!

How can I get my family connected to the Special Friends ministry at Willow

Creek?

On June 11/12, caretakers, families, and parents are invited to join us at a

special reception in Guest Central following each service. At the reception, you

may interact with parents who are a part of the Special Friends ministry, learn

about current, upcoming events and groups, and enjoy light refreshments. Please

pick up any children/students at the same place where you checked them in. Then

come to Guest Central. You are welcome to attend our annual Special Friends

Fishing Derby on Saturday morning, June 11.

Willow Creek offers Friendship Club

Friendship Club is a worship service that meets during the main 5:30 p.m.

service on Saturdays. For Sunday services on June 12, a host will guide you and

your teen/adult to an alternative option designed especially for this weekend.

You are welcome to attend our annual Special Friends Fishing Derby on Saturday

morning, June 11.

I do not have a family member with special needs, but I would like to know more

about Special Friends. What can I do? How can I help?

We are always on the lookout for caring individuals who are interested in

serving with the Special Friends ministry. You are welcome to join us after the

church services on June 11/12 to hear about our current groups and meet families

and volunteers who are already involved. You may also email Special Friends to

let us know you'd like to serve, or sign up to be a volunteer

http://www.willowcreek.org/story.aspx?storyid=913

An Interview with Colson

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate the prevalence of

autism is on the rise. Approximately 20 years ago, only one in 10,000 children

were diagnosed with autism. Today it strikes one in 110 American children, and

one in 70 boys.

Max is one of them.

Max’s mother is Colson, the author of Dancing with Max: A Mother and Son

Who Broke Free. Within the pages of the book, captures stories from

Max’s life that reveal the unexpected joy that comes from loving a child with

special needs.

Willow Creek had the privilege of interviewing this extraordinary woman and

mother to get a close-up view of her life with Max.

Willow Creek: After Max was diagnosed with autism, what kind of support did you

get?

Colson: Max was diagnosed about 16 years ago, I was desperate for

information, but there weren’t many resources available. So I did the only

things I could do—I went to support groups to meet other parents, asked

teachers, went to libraries to search for information, signed up for

conferences, hunted down specialists, and subscribed to medical journals. I did

whatever I could. I was desperate.

Willow: What did you learn?

: There is no set formula for treating autism. What one child responds to,

another one doesn’t, so as parents, we’re in a tough spot. How do we decide

what treatment to pursue? Even after we’ve made a decision, we wonder if

we’ve chosen the right one.

Willow: How do you handle it?

: God has taken me from the pit, a place I thought I’d be for the rest of

my life, and He has given us a story of great hope so we can be an encouragement

to others. I’ve seen firsthand the beautiful things God has done, and I

remember that, or try to remember that, when I start to slip into fear. I can be

a scaredy cat, so every day I tell myself: “This is my last day alive. Don’t

waste it.†It’s a little bit of a cliché when things are going well, but

when life is tough this perspective can change everything.

When I was in what I call the “rocking chair†pit—back when Max was nine

and the autism was most severe—back when we were living as hostages of our

circumstances, I held on to one thing. I saw what God had done in my Dad’s

life—he was in prison. At the bottom. Everything had crashed. And that’s

exactly what God used to create Prison Fellowship, a ministry that brings hope

and encouragement to others. I’d seen it happen. When I sat behind closed

doors in my rocking chair looking at four walls, I knew it was possible to get

out, even though I didn’t know how.

I had to say yes to God. I had to say, “I’m not going to stay here. I’m

going to get up and find out what You have in mind and what You have planned for

our lives.†I wasn’t going to give up, even though I didn’t know how I was

going to keep going.

Willow: What can you say to those of us who don’t know or understand the

struggles of living with autism?

: I understand that people can be frightened of autism: the unusual

behavior, the unique interests, and the difficulty with social interactions.

Because people don’t want to do the wrong thing, they do nothing. When we

encounter someone who has special needs, often something in our brain shuts down

because we don’t know anything about it. It’s not our world. A switch turns

off and we don’t connect with it. But our families desperately need the

connections. We don’t want to do this alone. We love our children, and we want

others to love them too.

Willow: What could someone do to help an individual with special needs or their

family?

: There are many things people can do that don’t require them to know

anything about autism. All it takes is one person reaching out to transform a

family’s life. Just call a family and say, “I’m raising my hand to be on

your team. I don’t know anything about autism, but I’d love to call you

every week or two to let you know I’m here if you need anything.â€

Everything we do that we take for granted is a challenge for a family with

autism. People could offer to do grocery shopping or run errands for a family,

especially a single parent. I spent years not being able to do simple errands or

go to the store because it was too complicated. When I ran out of milk, I called

a local pizza place and asked how many cartons of milk they had. I’d order

it—sometimes along with a pizza—just to replenish our milk supply. Someone

in the church—the body of Christ—could be available to run these kinds of

errands. Or they could accompany a family to a doctor’s appointment or a

meeting at school—just to take notes.

Willow: What is one of the biggest, and least spoken about, challenges facing

families dealing with autism or special needs?

: Isolation. One thing that could change a family’s life is to help them

know they’re not alone. They already feel their life is so different from

everyone else’s and that no one could understand or believe it. People with

disabled family members often become isolated. And when we’re isolated, our

problems grow to fill the empty space. Thinking no one understands can quickly

snowball into believing no one cares.

Willow: How do autism and other disabilities affect the church?

: Disability is a huge issue. In her book All God’s Children, Joni

kson Tada says 95 percent of individuals with disabilities (both children

and adults) are not connected to a church. 95 percent! That number reflects

millions of people who are detached from community with the body of Christ. I

see this is as a huge opportunity for the church to be Jesus to others. And in

the process of serving those in need, we are the ones changed. That’s the real

surprise. We learn about compassion and love and selflessness and

joy—characteristics crucial for the health of the church.

Willow: Your church has supported you and Max in your journey. How can Willow

Creek (and other churches) be there to support those in our communities who have

family members with disabilities?

: The church is the one place where families want to know they’re

welcome, they belong, and have a place. My prayer is that those who know and

love Jesus will be first in line to say, “We get it. These are life issues,

and as Christians, we stand for life.†That kind of attitude can transform a

church.

Willow Creek’s Special Friends Ministry is committed to reaching families and

individuals affected by disability and helping them move toward Christ as they

engage in our church.

Believing that we are all made in the image of God—made to know Him, love Him,

and connect in community, we serve those in the disabled community with the

following resources.

a.. Eagle’s Nest: Small groups that provide spiritual support and community

for parents of children with special needs. Offered every other Saturday at 3:30

p.m.

b.. Eagle’s Nest Kids: A program of Bible teaching, worship, and creative

play for their children. Offered every other Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

c.. Friendship Club: An alternative worship service on Saturday nights for

junior high-aged students and adults with more significant developmental delays.

d.. Living Stones: A group of more functionally independent, young adults with

developmental delays who meet for Bible study on Wednesday evenings. Wednesdays

during Midweek Classes.

e.. Promiseland Inclusion: A program that matches kids who need the support of

a one-on-one “buddy†with a consistent volunteer who can help them fully

participate in Promiseland. Promiseland is Willow’s children’s ministry

available during weekend services.

f.. Special Friends Community: A monthly outreach to adults with developmental

delays who live in residential/group homes in area communities. First Monday of

the month at 7 p.m. in the Chapel.

Through adapted curricula, safe and accommodating environments, and loving

volunteers, children and adults with disabilities are welcomed into the

community of believers at our church to learn to love Jesus.

There are families and individuals affected by disability who are just waiting

to be invited here. Perhaps their experience with God’s people hasn’t been a

very good one so far. At best, they’ve been ignored; or worse, they’ve been

uninvited because there were no programs to accommodate their special needs.

Special Friends Ministry Volunteer Opportunities

Willow Creek is growing its heart and learning what it takes to become a

welcoming place for the disability community. So go ahead and invite your

neighbor! Many of the volunteers in Willow’s disability ministry have

considerable personal and professional experience when it comes to working with

disabilities. Other volunteers come to serve with no experience or formal

training. But both types of volunteers have one thing in common—a heart for

those with disabilities. That’s all you need to join us. There’s no need to

hesitate because you’ve never had any experience with disabilities. We’ll

provide all the training you need.

Visit our open positions on the Volunteer Page.