Guest guest Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 The wonderful program being run at our local Baptist church was started by a student at the college who wanted to be a special ed teacher. MAybe approaching the local college might harvest a person to start something like this. I would suggest that to the pastor of your church .These people ned to understand that breathing, eating, dressing and maintaining a home are sometimes beyond our capabilitiies. > > > Anyone in the Portland Oregon area? I am struggling with church and > Connor. My church is very receptive to the idea of having a special needs > program, however they want me to run it. We are a church that is growing so > fast that the ministries cannot keep up and there are not enough volunteers > for most established programs let alone a brand new buddy program. I left > church last week in tears and both my kids and I cried the whole way home. > The nursery did not have enough staff to adequately supervise the children > they had in there, turned us away momentarily (the one family that did not > need that or understand) yet were still accepting other kids. I am > frustrated and heartsore. There are some wonderful people in this church > who adore my family but I am not feeling our needs are being met and I DO > NOT have the time nor the energy nor the heart to get a brand new ministry > off the ground. I am at the point where I would either like to find a > church that has a program already established or we will be worshipping > from home for the next however many years. > Amy > Mom to Connor DS-ASD 4 years and Brenna 2 years NT > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 Dear Amy - I feel heartsore with you on this one! is still small (3 years old) but another lady from our church sometimes misses services because her teen-age son with Autism needs a helper to attend Sunday School and our church hasn't been able to figure out how to do this. It's like being asked to do surgery on your own ruptured appendix! You're probably a strong person but could use someone to " hold up your arms " (remember the story about Moses needing someone to hold up his arms so the Israelites could keep winning the battle?) If Moses needed help, so do we! I wish you could find someone at your church who could talk to the region-wide pastors at their monthly breakfast (just a guess - is your pastor in with one of these?) It would be so cool if someone else could catch a vision for this for all the churches in your area that share a common faith - interview people in the churches with a family member with a disability and ask them how the churches could minister to them. Maybe this person could organize some volunteers who go help at various churches on any given Sunday (some college students who get some training?) It's hard not to take it personally and start to feel bitter. Bitterness can taste so good, initially.I struggle with it all the time out here in France. Sometimes I think it's actually a dose of insight, clarity.maybe it is. Maybe you need a break for a bit til a consistent direction emerges for you, an action plan - whether it's to call someone at your church and ask to meet in person to vent or share some solutions while stressing that you're not the one to head it up, or look for a new church. You feel the pain, so I hope you also give it a voice because guaranteed, you're not the only one who feels it. You could be an " Esther " (one who gives voice to pain but doesn't do the work of reversing the injustice). Every little step counts. Before I got pregnant with Ben, I saw a vision of me holding a baby in my left arm and a sword in my right. I had always said, " Please God, don't give me a child with a disability " because I am a Social Worker (MSW) and former Job Developer and I saw what hell parents and families can go through. I didn't want to be stuck in it forever. Even now, I dread the sword part of the vision. It's one thing to fight injustice for other people's children but now that it's my own child - I don't know if I have the strength for it. I have a good husband who is a fighter. I'm hoping that if and as I need to fight (as I'm sure will be the case) that I have helpers and that I'll learn a new way to do it. More efficient. Before I always did it on my own. Trusting in God has always been something I could philosophize about but in reality, I always leaned on my own energy. Well, I don't have any energy to spare these days so I trust that I can still learn a thing or two if and when the need arises. Some days, I just decide I don't want to learn - as in " la la la - I can't hear you! " So I guess that's my disability. Ha! And.our churches have disabilities too. We look to them to be a source of healing, but sometimes they need the healing first. In the meantime, you're not alone. I hope some lucky group is - or becomes - willing to walk this journey with you! ~ Kathy in France Ben (3 years old, DS/ASD, Genna (9 months old, NT) and hubby Phil (soon-to-be PhD) _____ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Amy Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2009 8:44 PM To: Subject: spirituality/churches Anyone in the Portland Oregon area? I am struggling with church and Connor. My church is very receptive to the idea of having a special needs program, however they want me to run it. We are a church that is growing so fast that the ministries cannot keep up and there are not enough volunteers for most established programs let alone a brand new buddy program. I left church last week in tears and both my kids and I cried the whole way home. The nursery did not have enough staff to adequately supervise the children they had in there, turned us away momentarily (the one family that did not need that or understand) yet were still accepting other kids. I am frustrated and heartsore. There are some wonderful people in this church who adore my family but I am not feeling our needs are being met and I DO NOT have the time nor the energy nor the heart to get a brand new ministry off the ground. I am at the point where I would either like to find a church that has a program already established or we will be worshipping from home for the next however many years. Amy Mom to Connor DS-ASD 4 years and Brenna 2 years NT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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