Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Gayla, i so understand. Every church I have ever been to, even the one that I had gone to my entire preganancy until was 10 years old.... eventually did the same thing. What's the old saying...the christian army often shoots its wounded? It's not a reflection on God I kept having to remind myself...it's a reflection on humans and lack of spiritual enlightenment. I even did church wide trainings that everyone thought was really " interesting and stimulating " ...and after 2 or 3 weeks the volunteers would deduce me to begging. Then in the final years of my efforts to stay involved, I just always became his Sunday School Teacher. Then that got to be so exhausting that I decided, geez louise, I can teach my kids my faith from home! And that's what I've done. I have home groups in my home as I can and every night at the dinner table my children and I have spiritually encouraging lessons. But, it's been a long time since I fought that church battle. One lady...a fairly young woman and fairly progressive...came to me once and suggested that she felt the Lord had told her was demon possessed!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm afraid I may have suggested she should be exorcised from stupidity.... and pointed her in the direction of the nearest library. I don't want to suggest that it can't be worked out. Of course it can. I hear of plenty of churches that are wonderful...okay, not really. But I believe they are out there! I just only had so much energy, you know? and after a decade of fighting Medicaid, insurances, school systems, his father's anger over his autism, etc.... I just couldn't fight the one place I thought I could run.... I can pray that you be encouraged though...no one has damaged my faith in that... Hang in there. Amy Gayla Giffen wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla __________________________________________________________ Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the New MSN Mobile! http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Gayla, let me say first, it is not about the warm fuzzies you get around these people, granted you went there for 30 yrs. The true test is, are you and your family being ministered to? Are you being spiritually fed? If not and you have tried to get the church to help you... the Bible says to dust off your feet and move on. Not specifically, but it does say to try and work with them and if they choose not to reach out, move on. You are in a position where you need to be ministered to as well finding a place to minister to others as well. Do all you can, even approach the children's minister and lay out to them where you are and how you feel. Most ministers are clueless to where some of the members really are and how they feel. We go to church with the " I'm fine " attitude when asked and that is wrong. If you dont feel good, share it with someone, pray with someone about it and work through it. Sorry, I am preaching and it is not even Sunday. I do think, however, you need to sit down with that minister and let them know your feelings, they are busy and don't catch everything. Give them a chance to right a wrong. God Bless Gayla Giffen wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla __________________________________________________________ Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the New MSN Mobile! http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 I do agree with Joe, give them a chance. I do still have very wonderful friendships from that church that were salvaged by NOT staying and allowing my anger to fester by their apathy or whatever it was. Just don't let it rock your faith. It's what gets us through this crazy ride, you know? Amy joe whitehead wrote: Gayla, let me say first, it is not about the warm fuzzies you get around these people, granted you went there for 30 yrs. The true test is, are you and your family being ministered to? Are you being spiritually fed? If not and you have tried to get the church to help you... the Bible says to dust off your feet and move on. Not specifically, but it does say to try and work with them and if they choose not to reach out, move on. You are in a position where you need to be ministered to as well finding a place to minister to others as well. Do all you can, even approach the children's minister and lay out to them where you are and how you feel. Most ministers are clueless to where some of the members really are and how they feel. We go to church with the " I'm fine " attitude when asked and that is wrong. If you dont feel good, share it with someone, pray with someone about it and work through it. Sorry, I am preaching and it is not even Sunday. I do think, however, you need to sit down with that minister and let them know your feelings, they are busy and don't catch everything. Give them a chance to right a wrong. God Bless Gayla Giffen wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla __________________________________________________________ Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the New MSN Mobile! http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Where are you located? > > > We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing > success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he > would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that > evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. > I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can > guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would > have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and > stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. > > So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day > today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we > realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a > shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your > church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay > with him. " > > Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to > for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is > obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at > times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough > for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church > for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we > don't go like we used to, and I miss it. > > So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that > really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do > love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to > consider. > > Thanks for any and all input. > > Blessings, Gayla > __________________________________________________________ > Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the > New MSN Mobile! > http://mobile.msn.com > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Gayla, I am sorry for how that situation was handled.... I don't know where you live - but I can assure you that there ARE many churches out there who have a heart fo Ministering to children, youth, and adults with special needs. My church - Graceview Baptist Church - has a JOY Ministry that has been a blessing to us since we found it 6 years ago... They are having a Vacation Bible School for children with special needs in August. If you go to their website - www.thejoyministry.org - I'm sure they will have the dates and info listed sometime soon. If not - just contact TheJOYLady@.... That church has such a heart for the JOY Ministry - that they built a 10,000 square foot building just for that Ministry! That church is also where the Northwest Houston Chapter of the Autism Society of America has it's resource room and monthly meetings.... Sincerely, Guppy Gayla Giffen <mrsgwaghotmail (DOT) com> wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla M. Guppy Don't tell God how big your storm is - tell the storm how big your God is! Texas Autism Advocacy: www.TexasAutismAdvocacy.org " There are some aspects of a person's life that we have no right to compromise. We cannot negotiate the size of an institution. No one should live in one. We cannot debate who should get an inclusive education. Everyone should. We cannot determine who does and who does not get the right to make their own choices and forge their own futures. All must. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Advocacy issues regarding autism treatment in TexasI, too had an interesting experience in church. As a ministry of our church, we have a 5 day/week preschool, where I teach the 3 yr old class. The director,my boss, my friend, is also a coordinator for the children's ministry on Sunday mornings (and is also the parent of a kid with ADHD and dyslexia). One Sunday morning, she pulled me out of adult worship and asked me to come get my 7 yr old ASD son. He was standing up in front of the puppet stage and was running from her when she asked him to sit down. I went and got him, brought him into worship with my husband, myself, and his ASD twin brother. The rest of the worship service was chaotic and frustrating. Since my husband doesn't get to attend very many church services and I can't handle both boys misbehavior very easily by myself in that setting, we just stopped going to worship most Sundays. After a while, the other children's ministry coordinator approached me and wanted to know why we hadn't been going on Sunday mornings. I told her what had happened. She immediately hugged me, held my hand, and asked me what she needed to do to make children's worship possible for my boys. She said " God gave these special children to all of us....everyone in this congregation has the opportunity to love and grow because they are a part of us, too. They are members of your family, and members of our church family. We must make sure that we take care of them, as we do all of our children in this family. " won't go to children's worship because the noise level makes him hysterical, so he goes to adult worship with me. Mason doesn't mind the noise so much, but his wandering through the room frustrates some of the teachers. Our previous children's minister held him in his arms or lap and that made them both happy. That minister has moved away. Our new coordinator lets new teachers know that Mason may wander, and that it is okay as long as he doesn't leave the room. When he has trouble, she pulls him into her lap and talks to him and that seems to solve the problem. As a very active member of this church, as well as an employee, I know that I should have sat down with the new coordinators and had a game plan in place if Mason had problems. We have been going to this church since the kids were little bitty, though, and that first coordinator was such a close friend and has major behavioral problems with her own child, and my son had never acted up in church before, so I never thought it was really necessary. Looking back, I realize that the kids ministry team is a group of parents, not professionals, who don't know what to expect or how to handle situations until I tell them. I take full responsibility in abstaining from church because I was a little hurt, instead of making the situation work. Having said that, I must say that everyone in our amazing congregation understands that I NEED worship time away from my kids, that I also teach preschool and am hard at work 24/7 teaching children about God, and that Sunday mornings are my only time to commune with God and refill my spirit for the week ahead. It was so incredible for the 2nd coordinator to recognize that the needs of my family were not being met and to reach out to me, since I wasn't reaching out for help. I know that our congregation is very special in that no one has ever suggested that there isn't a place for my sons, and many have offered me help on those Sunday mornings when I must come without my husband. So, I guess the crux of this email is this: Yes. They should be reaching out to see what needs are not being met. If they don't do that, though, we must be advocates for our children even in church. We have to be courageous enough to go to the leaders of the children's ministry, explain our needs, and be prepared with suggestions for solutions to potential problems. God has given these special children to us for a reason. He knows that we can be so tender and sweet to our precious babies, and strong and proactive in making sure that their needs are met. If we keep our eyes on God and approach issues with His love in our hearts, we can alert others to our needs without stepping on their feelings. We also have to be forgiving of others who may step on our feelings as well. in Cedar Park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Advocacy issues regarding autism treatment in TexasI, too had an interesting experience in church. As a ministry of our church, we have a 5 day/week preschool, where I teach the 3 yr old class. The director,my boss, my friend, is also a coordinator for the children's ministry on Sunday mornings (and is also the parent of a kid with ADHD and dyslexia). One Sunday morning, she pulled me out of adult worship and asked me to come get my 7 yr old ASD son. He was standing up in front of the puppet stage and was running from her when she asked him to sit down. I went and got him, brought him into worship with my husband, myself, and his ASD twin brother. The rest of the worship service was chaotic and frustrating. Since my husband doesn't get to attend very many church services and I can't handle both boys misbehavior very easily by myself in that setting, we just stopped going to worship most Sundays. After a while, the other children's ministry coordinator approached me and wanted to know why we hadn't been going on Sunday mornings. I told her what had happened. She immediately hugged me, held my hand, and asked me what she needed to do to make children's worship possible for my boys. She said " God gave these special children to all of us....everyone in this congregation has the opportunity to love and grow because they are a part of us, too. They are members of your family, and members of our church family. We must make sure that we take care of them, as we do all of our children in this family. " won't go to children's worship because the noise level makes him hysterical, so he goes to adult worship with me. Mason doesn't mind the noise so much, but his wandering through the room frustrates some of the teachers. Our previous children's minister held him in his arms or lap and that made them both happy. That minister has moved away. Our new coordinator lets new teachers know that Mason may wander, and that it is okay as long as he doesn't leave the room. When he has trouble, she pulls him into her lap and talks to him and that seems to solve the problem. As a very active member of this church, as well as an employee, I know that I should have sat down with the new coordinators and had a game plan in place if Mason had problems. We have been going to this church since the kids were little bitty, though, and that first coordinator was such a close friend and has major behavioral problems with her own child, and my son had never acted up in church before, so I never thought it was really necessary. Looking back, I realize that the kids ministry team is a group of parents, not professionals, who don't know what to expect or how to handle situations until I tell them. I take full responsibility in abstaining from church because I was a little hurt, instead of making the situation work. Having said that, I must say that everyone in our amazing congregation understands that I NEED worship time away from my kids, that I also teach preschool and am hard at work 24/7 teaching children about God, and that Sunday mornings are my only time to commune with God and refill my spirit for the week ahead. It was so incredible for the 2nd coordinator to recognize that the needs of my family were not being met and to reach out to me, since I wasn't reaching out for help. I know that our congregation is very special in that no one has ever suggested that there isn't a place for my sons, and many have offered me help on those Sunday mornings when I must come without my husband. So, I guess the crux of this email is this: Yes. They should be reaching out to see what needs are not being met. If they don't do that, though, we must be advocates for our children even in church. We have to be courageous enough to go to the leaders of the children's ministry, explain our needs, and be prepared with suggestions for solutions to potential problems. God has given these special children to us for a reason. He knows that we can be so tender and sweet to our precious babies, and strong and proactive in making sure that their needs are met. If we keep our eyes on God and approach issues with His love in our hearts, we can alert others to our needs without stepping on their feelings. We also have to be forgiving of others who may step on our feelings as well. in Cedar Park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 , what a great thing to hear! I will forward this to all my friends in Houston! Amy " M. Guppy " wrote: Gayla, I am sorry for how that situation was handled.... I don't know where you live - but I can assure you that there ARE many churches out there who have a heart fo Ministering to children, youth, and adults with special needs. My church - Graceview Baptist Church - has a JOY Ministry that has been a blessing to us since we found it 6 years ago... They are having a Vacation Bible School for children with special needs in August. If you go to their website - www.thejoyministry.org - I'm sure they will have the dates and info listed sometime soon. If not - just contact TheJOYLady@.... That church has such a heart for the JOY Ministry - that they built a 10,000 square foot building just for that Ministry! That church is also where the Northwest Houston Chapter of the Autism Society of America has it's resource room and monthly meetings.... Sincerely, Guppy Gayla Giffen <mrsgwaghotmail (DOT) com> wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla M. Guppy Don't tell God how big your storm is - tell the storm how big your God is! Texas Autism Advocacy: www.TexasAutismAdvocacy.org " There are some aspects of a person's life that we have no right to compromise. We cannot negotiate the size of an institution. No one should live in one. We cannot debate who should get an inclusive education. Everyone should. We cannot determine who does and who does not get the right to make their own choices and forge their own futures. All must. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Hi Gayla - I am sorry that happened. You mentioned that it's a " mega-church " . If that's the case, then I would urge you to discuss your feelings with a member of the ordained staff. If the children's minister who called you is ordained, then I would definitely start there. If he or she is laity, they may not have fully appreciated your situation, particularly during the chaos of VBS. The folks with the theology degrees, however, are paid to pastor accordingly. By the end of the conversation, you'll know if they're prepared to minister to your unique family. I sincerely hope they can. 25:40 and Mark 10:14 are clear on God's love for ALL children, and His expectations of those who work with them. As a parent, 9:1-3 had a life-changing impact on me personally. When explaining why a man was born blind, Jesus told the disciples " this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. " ( 9:3b). WOW! To know that my twins' severe disability, something which makes our days so difficult, could reflect the hand of God himself seizing the opportunity to reveal himself...it doesn't get any better than that. Take care - Clay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Hi Gayla - I am sorry that happened. You mentioned that it's a " mega-church " . If that's the case, then I would urge you to discuss your feelings with a member of the ordained staff. If the children's minister who called you is ordained, then I would definitely start there. If he or she is laity, they may not have fully appreciated your situation, particularly during the chaos of VBS. The folks with the theology degrees, however, are paid to pastor accordingly. By the end of the conversation, you'll know if they're prepared to minister to your unique family. I sincerely hope they can. 25:40 and Mark 10:14 are clear on God's love for ALL children, and His expectations of those who work with them. As a parent, 9:1-3 had a life-changing impact on me personally. When explaining why a man was born blind, Jesus told the disciples " this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. " ( 9:3b). WOW! To know that my twins' severe disability, something which makes our days so difficult, could reflect the hand of God himself seizing the opportunity to reveal himself...it doesn't get any better than that. Take care - Clay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Thank you for the bible passage. While I have given up on organized churches when it comes to my son I know somehow I named him for a reason. I don't feel we need church to believe in God and do his work. And I don't have the energy to enlighten and organize a program for my son right now. My priorities always seem so different than everyone else. For instance when we were reading " A purposeful life " as part of our mega church I almost laughed. I know my purpose I didn't pick it but I sure don't need to ponder it. I long for the kind of church I went to when I was a child here in Austin. We met in other churches on off days or in other buildings. The children's ministry didn't require memorization or rote learning. We heard bible stories, talked about them and sang songs with a guitar in a circle on the floor. I loved when we had Wednesday night pot luck at a church and we all played hide and seek in all the nooks and crannies of the building. Often I would sneak in the chapel and talk to God all alone in the dim light. Back then church was less about money and missions and more about knowledge and love. Maybe the hippies had a good idea. That's what I need now, hippie church. Smile and Blessings everyone. Trina > > Hi Gayla - > > I am sorry that happened. You mentioned that it's a " mega-church " . > If that's the case, then I would urge you to discuss your feelings > with a member of the ordained staff. If the children's minister who > called you is ordained, then I would definitely start there. If he > or she is laity, they may not have fully appreciated your situation, > particularly during the chaos of VBS. The folks with the theology > degrees, however, are paid to pastor accordingly. By the end of the > conversation, you'll know if they're prepared to minister to your > unique family. I sincerely hope they can. > > 25:40 and Mark 10:14 are clear on God's love for ALL > children, and His expectations of those who work with them. As a > parent, 9:1-3 had a life-changing impact on me personally. When > explaining why a man was born blind, Jesus told the disciples " this > happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. " > ( 9:3b). WOW! To know that my twins' severe disability, > something which makes our days so difficult, could reflect the hand > of God himself seizing the opportunity to reveal himself...it doesn't > get any better than that. > > Take care - Clay > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Trina, You're so funny. I love it. Maybe we should all start a church together and call poop smearing worship! haha You may really be onto something... haha Your memories gave me a warm fuzzy. Why don't we all do that? So we aren't sad? Let's all post one memory of God, Allah, Spirit, or church, or faith (of any kind...I realize we may have different theologies or backgrounds)... something that we can all think about today if our kids grab food off of someone's plate at Chili's when we are paying out, or when the schools call to say that classroom you spent 5 hours in an IEP planning on won't be ready by August, or when your ex-mother-in-law says you are selfish because you won't institutionalize your child, or when your friends just " don't get it. " etc. Let's have the warm fuzzy memory to overpower the negative stuff.... Mine is sitting around in vacation bible school with Mrs. Brown. She was a very large woman... who smelled like an angel and had long beautiful fingernails. She was reading about Antioch...and I obsessed over the way the word sounded as it rolled off her tongue. That /k/ at the was so beautiful and heavenly...and I kept saying it over and over as we made our little sand jar creations with toothpicks...crackle sliding in the jar. I remember looking up at the pictures of Jesus and all of the disciples on the wall... and I remember feeling like they were looking at me and I thought they looked like my dad & uncles...really sweet and kind. Anyway, that's my memory. Seems a little autistic doesn't it? haha What are yours? Have a great day everyone! Amy and Trina Sherman wrote: Thank you for the bible passage. While I have given up on organized churches when it comes to my son I know somehow I named him for a reason. I don't feel we need church to believe in God and do his work. And I don't have the energy to enlighten and organize a program for my son right now. My priorities always seem so different than everyone else. For instance when we were reading " A purposeful life " as part of our mega church I almost laughed. I know my purpose I didn't pick it but I sure don't need to ponder it. I long for the kind of church I went to when I was a child here in Austin. We met in other churches on off days or in other buildings. The children's ministry didn't require memorization or rote learning. We heard bible stories, talked about them and sang songs with a guitar in a circle on the floor. I loved when we had Wednesday night pot luck at a church and we all played hide and seek in all the nooks and crannies of the building. Often I would sneak in the chapel and talk to God all alone in the dim light. Back then church was less about money and missions and more about knowledge and love. Maybe the hippies had a good idea. That's what I need now, hippie church. Smile and Blessings everyone. Trina > > Hi Gayla - > > I am sorry that happened. You mentioned that it's a " mega-church " . > If that's the case, then I would urge you to discuss your feelings > with a member of the ordained staff. If the children's minister who > called you is ordained, then I would definitely start there. If he > or she is laity, they may not have fully appreciated your situation, > particularly during the chaos of VBS. The folks with the theology > degrees, however, are paid to pastor accordingly. By the end of the > conversation, you'll know if they're prepared to minister to your > unique family. I sincerely hope they can. > > 25:40 and Mark 10:14 are clear on God's love for ALL > children, and His expectations of those who work with them. As a > parent, 9:1-3 had a life-changing impact on me personally. When > explaining why a man was born blind, Jesus told the disciples " this > happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. " > ( 9:3b). WOW! To know that my twins' severe disability, > something which makes our days so difficult, could reflect the hand > of God himself seizing the opportunity to reveal himself...it doesn't > get any better than that. > > Take care - Clay > > " Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. " - Baker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Trina, You're so funny. I love it. Maybe we should all start a church together and call poop smearing worship! haha You may really be onto something... haha Your memories gave me a warm fuzzy. Why don't we all do that? So we aren't sad? Let's all post one memory of God, Allah, Spirit, or church, or faith (of any kind...I realize we may have different theologies or backgrounds)... something that we can all think about today if our kids grab food off of someone's plate at Chili's when we are paying out, or when the schools call to say that classroom you spent 5 hours in an IEP planning on won't be ready by August, or when your ex-mother-in-law says you are selfish because you won't institutionalize your child, or when your friends just " don't get it. " etc. Let's have the warm fuzzy memory to overpower the negative stuff.... Mine is sitting around in vacation bible school with Mrs. Brown. She was a very large woman... who smelled like an angel and had long beautiful fingernails. She was reading about Antioch...and I obsessed over the way the word sounded as it rolled off her tongue. That /k/ at the was so beautiful and heavenly...and I kept saying it over and over as we made our little sand jar creations with toothpicks...crackle sliding in the jar. I remember looking up at the pictures of Jesus and all of the disciples on the wall... and I remember feeling like they were looking at me and I thought they looked like my dad & uncles...really sweet and kind. Anyway, that's my memory. Seems a little autistic doesn't it? haha What are yours? Have a great day everyone! Amy and Trina Sherman wrote: Thank you for the bible passage. While I have given up on organized churches when it comes to my son I know somehow I named him for a reason. I don't feel we need church to believe in God and do his work. And I don't have the energy to enlighten and organize a program for my son right now. My priorities always seem so different than everyone else. For instance when we were reading " A purposeful life " as part of our mega church I almost laughed. I know my purpose I didn't pick it but I sure don't need to ponder it. I long for the kind of church I went to when I was a child here in Austin. We met in other churches on off days or in other buildings. The children's ministry didn't require memorization or rote learning. We heard bible stories, talked about them and sang songs with a guitar in a circle on the floor. I loved when we had Wednesday night pot luck at a church and we all played hide and seek in all the nooks and crannies of the building. Often I would sneak in the chapel and talk to God all alone in the dim light. Back then church was less about money and missions and more about knowledge and love. Maybe the hippies had a good idea. That's what I need now, hippie church. Smile and Blessings everyone. Trina > > Hi Gayla - > > I am sorry that happened. You mentioned that it's a " mega-church " . > If that's the case, then I would urge you to discuss your feelings > with a member of the ordained staff. If the children's minister who > called you is ordained, then I would definitely start there. If he > or she is laity, they may not have fully appreciated your situation, > particularly during the chaos of VBS. The folks with the theology > degrees, however, are paid to pastor accordingly. By the end of the > conversation, you'll know if they're prepared to minister to your > unique family. I sincerely hope they can. > > 25:40 and Mark 10:14 are clear on God's love for ALL > children, and His expectations of those who work with them. As a > parent, 9:1-3 had a life-changing impact on me personally. When > explaining why a man was born blind, Jesus told the disciples " this > happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. " > ( 9:3b). WOW! To know that my twins' severe disability, > something which makes our days so difficult, could reflect the hand > of God himself seizing the opportunity to reveal himself...it doesn't > get any better than that. > > Take care - Clay > > " Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. " - Baker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I agree a shadow would probably be just what your son needs to success at VBS and perhaps help with his social awareness and social skills. Do you know of a teenager or college student that you could pay to accompany him? Maggie Gayla Giffen wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla __________________________________________________________ Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the New MSN Mobile! http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I agree a shadow would probably be just what your son needs to success at VBS and perhaps help with his social awareness and social skills. Do you know of a teenager or college student that you could pay to accompany him? Maggie Gayla Giffen wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla __________________________________________________________ Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the New MSN Mobile! http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Fair warning on the aide, make sure that they know something about your child's disability. We had one not trained and now we are on our second aide. Training is everything for the success of you and your child. Do not take anything for granted. A warm body is sometimes worse than no body at all.. Maggie Everts wrote: I agree a shadow would probably be just what your son needs to success at VBS and perhaps help with his social awareness and social skills. Do you know of a teenager or college student that you could pay to accompany him? Maggie Gayla Giffen wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla __________________________________________________________ Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the New MSN Mobile! http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Fair warning on the aide, make sure that they know something about your child's disability. We had one not trained and now we are on our second aide. Training is everything for the success of you and your child. Do not take anything for granted. A warm body is sometimes worse than no body at all.. Maggie Everts wrote: I agree a shadow would probably be just what your son needs to success at VBS and perhaps help with his social awareness and social skills. Do you know of a teenager or college student that you could pay to accompany him? Maggie Gayla Giffen wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla __________________________________________________________ Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the New MSN Mobile! http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Hi Gayla, We have had experiences similar to yours in church. When our son was younger, we were told he was not controllable and required too much attention in Sunday school without a parent there with them. I can still remember leaving church in tears because a parent volunteer/helper told me my son was completely undisciplined and hyper. The other parents did not talk to us or invite us to outings. It stung. For a while, my husband and I alternated going to service and one would stay with our son. He was still disruptive, and so we started alternating staying at home with him and one of us would go to church. I don't think we have been to church as a family in over five years. Now that we have a second child who is not autistic, and our older son seems to be doing better, we are going to try going as a family again. Now that I am older and wiser (LOL), I feel God has led me to realize that rather than feeling bitter about it I should do something to change it. The next church we join, I will educate people about families of special needs kids. My husband and I have also discussed having a family ministry for parents of special needs kids because the divorce rate is so high in these families. The stress is overwhelming at times, but we hope to help others who have struggled as we have. I know in my heart that God blessed me with a special child to fulfill His plan...I just need to find what that is. Be encouraged, and my prayers are that you find the right church home. Prayers, ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Hi Gayla, We have had experiences similar to yours in church. When our son was younger, we were told he was not controllable and required too much attention in Sunday school without a parent there with them. I can still remember leaving church in tears because a parent volunteer/helper told me my son was completely undisciplined and hyper. The other parents did not talk to us or invite us to outings. It stung. For a while, my husband and I alternated going to service and one would stay with our son. He was still disruptive, and so we started alternating staying at home with him and one of us would go to church. I don't think we have been to church as a family in over five years. Now that we have a second child who is not autistic, and our older son seems to be doing better, we are going to try going as a family again. Now that I am older and wiser (LOL), I feel God has led me to realize that rather than feeling bitter about it I should do something to change it. The next church we join, I will educate people about families of special needs kids. My husband and I have also discussed having a family ministry for parents of special needs kids because the divorce rate is so high in these families. The stress is overwhelming at times, but we hope to help others who have struggled as we have. I know in my heart that God blessed me with a special child to fulfill His plan...I just need to find what that is. Be encouraged, and my prayers are that you find the right church home. Prayers, ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 We have a wonderful program at our church....they are called Lifeguards and they are people who volunteer to be one on one with special needs kids...either in a regular classroom if the child can handle it, or a separate room, which is what my son does. There are many churches that have great programs....such as my church, Bent Tree Bible Fellowship....as well as 's church in Houston. You can also contact Joni and Friends (which is a ministry for people of all ages with disabilities) and they can give you the names of churches who have programs. It should be that all churches recognize that they should be serving " ALL " the needs of the members of their congregation, especially a mega church. Hopefully you can have a meeting with the staff so that they can improve their communication techniques and also let them know how you can be ministered to! Good Luck! Beth Gotwalt > > > We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. > > So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " > > Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. > > So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. > > Thanks for any and all input. > > Blessings, Gayla > _________________________________________________________________ > Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the New MSN Mobile! > http://mobile.msn.com > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 VBS teachers are just volunteer moms - not teachers. The other problem is that there are too many unknowns at VBS - teachers, students, routines, ect. By the time he gets used to it the week is over. Unfortunately the only person with enough training to help decompress your son during these times is probably you. It may not be that they are not accepting of your son, but they just don't know how to handle him. We had 2 summers of me being our son's aide. Then the next year our church took notice and got an extra volunteer to be his aide. Still no one had any training, but at least they were trying. When another child showed some of the same behaviors they started asking the perceived resident expert for advice - me. Again, trying. You might talk to the director ahead of time next year to discuss your situation. One thing that we have done to help with Sunday school is to use our parent training from the public school for his Sunday school teachers. They were very appreciative. We talked with the director to make sure she understood the situation. This helped her to put teachers in his age group who knew ahead of time what they were volunteering for. We also sit in the cry room during the sermon since this is that is the hardest time to be quiet. joe whitehead wrote: Fair warning on the aide, make sure that they know something about your child's disability. We had one not trained and now we are on our second aide. Training is everything for the success of you and your child. Do not take anything for granted. A warm body is sometimes worse than no body at all.. Maggie Everts wrote: I agree a shadow would probably be just what your son needs to success at VBS and perhaps help with his social awareness and social skills. Do you know of a teenager or college student that you could pay to accompany him? Maggie Gayla Giffen wrote: We had Vacation Bible School at church this week, and it wasn't a rousing success. Ok, not even close! I dropped my son off an hour late on Monday (he would only be there for two hours.) The children's minister called me that evening to tell me that I needed to stay in the room the rest of the week. I'm a bit down these days just with where we are in our journey, so you can guess how that hit me. If I had been having a better week, I probably would have just sighed, dealt with it, and moved on. I took him back Wednesday and stayed in the room, and I'll take him tomorrow and stay in the room. So, here's what I wished had been said, " Zachary didn't have a great day today. Having seen his behavior, and knowing that you homeschool Zachary, we realize that you deal with this every day. He will have to have someone (a shadow) stay in the room with him. To minister to you (since we are your church), we thought we'd see how you feel about having someone else stay with him. " Wow - that would have just made my day. This is the church I have gone to for 30 years, so I love this church. It is a " mega-church, " which is obviously not always so great for my PDD-NOS son - a bit overstimulating at times. They do have a special needs room, but my son is not severe enough for that room, and needs to be in a regular room. We used to be at church for everything. It's just become so difficult to deal with our son, that we don't go like we used to, and I miss it. So, that long story to say, does anyone go to, or know of, a church that really welcomes our children? I'm not sure I'd really change because I do love the people, and they have been wonderful to us. But it's something to consider. Thanks for any and all input. Blessings, Gayla __________________________________________________________ Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! Check out the New MSN Mobile! http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 For anyone in the Northwest Houston area check out The Woodlands United Methodist Church www.twumc.org <http://www.twumc.org/> (for those of you not in the area I know they help guide other church's to get programs started.call Debbie Glass) They have a wonderful special needs program that goes all the way up to special needs adults. They are a large church, BUT they have so much going on for Special needs children. Special Blessings (younger ages) and REMIX (older children, teens to adults) To find out more go to the Children's ministries web site www.gracekids.com <http://www.gracekids.com/> Click on the " About us " and find " Special Blessings/Remix " Click on " Special Blessings " or " Remix " to find out more. (my son is the cutie on the Special Blessings page in the blue swing) Be sure to look at the video of one families experience...this is 100% true. **They have shadow volunteers to be placed with each child as they arrive on Sunday's so the child can enjoy themselves as comfortably as possible while you attend church and/or bible study. **For kids that can go to regular Sunday school they are accompanied with a shadow. **They provide a pager when you sign your child in so they can page you if they need you so you can have a piece of mind. **They do music and go over a bible study for the kids. **They have a wonderful learning lab that is open for you to bring your child for private therapy sessions, etc (open from 12-7pm) **They now have 3 rooms available for the special needs children during church services on Sunday mornings. (one of which is closed one hour for a child that is very sensitive) They are very accommodating! **They have Family Service for special needs families every 3 months and a luncheon after a few times a year. **My son is placed with a shadow on " Parent night out " so I can take some time to have a 'date' with my husband or get things done. ($15/hr for 4 hrs of babysitting..awesome!!) **They just started a bible study for the special needs parents not too long ago. **Mom's coffee **Playdates **Special needs Vacation bible school (will also provide a shadow for the child to attend regular vacation bible school) Contact Debbie Glass ( or dglass@...) for more information or if you'd like to check the program out. She had everything set up and ready for us when we arrived our 1st visit over a year ago. Please let me know if anyone has any questions, etc. We absolutely LOVE this church and can't say enough about it!!! Rains -----Original Message----- From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas-Autism-Advocacy/message/44006;_ylc= X3oDMTJxY2M3N2tvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI0NTE4MgRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjE2 MTYEbXNnSWQDNDQwMDYEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTE4MTM1MzUzOQ--> Re: church Posted by: " and Trina Sherman " <mailto:csherman7@...?Subject=%20Re%3A%20church> csherman7@... <http://profiles.yahoo.com/trinamatt2005> trinamatt2005 Fri Jun 8, 2007 4:59 am (PST) Thank you for the bible passage. While I have given up on organized churches when it comes to my son I know somehow I named him for a reason. I don't feel we need church to believe in God and do his work. And I don't have the energy to enlighten and organize a program for my son right now. My priorities always seem so different than everyone else. For instance when we were reading " A purposeful life " as part of our mega church I almost laughed. I know my purpose I didn't pick it but I sure don't need to ponder it. I long for the kind of church I went to when I was a child here in Austin. We met in other churches on off days or in other buildings. The children's ministry didn't require memorization or rote learning. We heard bible stories, talked about them and sang songs with a guitar in a circle on the floor. I loved when we had Wednesday night pot luck at a church and we all played hide and seek in all the nooks and crannies of the building. Often I would sneak in the chapel and talk to God all alone in the dim light. Back then church was less about money and missions and more about knowledge and love. Maybe the hippies had a good idea. That's what I need now, hippie church. Smile and Blessings everyone. Trina > > Hi Gayla - > > I am sorry that happened. You mentioned that it's a " mega-church " . > If that's the case, then I would urge you to discuss your feelings > with a member of the ordained staff. If the children's minister who > called you is ordained, then I would definitely start there. If he > or she is laity, they may not have fully appreciated your situation, > particularly during the chaos of VBS. The folks with the theology > degrees, however, are paid to pastor accordingly. By the end of the > conversation, you'll know if they're prepared to minister to your > unique family. I sincerely hope they can. > > 25:40 and Mark 10:14 are clear on God's love for ALL > children, and His expectations of those who work with them. As a > parent, 9:1-3 had a life-changing impact on me personally. When > explaining why a man was born blind, Jesus told the disciples " this > happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. " > ( 9:3b). WOW! To know that my twins' severe disability, > something which makes our days so difficult, could reflect the hand > of God himself seizing the opportunity to reveal himself...it doesn't > get any better than that. > > Take care - Clay > > Back to top <mailto:csherman7@...?Subject=Re%3A%20church> Reply to sender | <mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ?Subject=%20Re%3A%20church> Reply to group | <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas-Autism-Advocacy/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxc jlxM3ByBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI0NTE4MgRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjE2MTYEbXNnS WQDNDQwMDYEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3JwbHkEc3RpbWUDMTE4MTM1MzUzOQ--?act=reply & me ssageNum=44006> Reply via web post <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas-Autism-Advocacy/message/43975;_ylc= X3oDMTM2NjNzbTdkBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI0NTE4MgRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjE2 MTYEbXNnSWQDNDQwMDYEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Z0cGMEc3RpbWUDMTE4MTM1MzUzOQR0cGNJ ZAM0Mzk3NQ--> Messages in this topic (15) 2b. <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas-Autism-Advocacy/message/44007;_ylc= X3oDMTJxZXRmbXM3BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI0NTE4MgRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjE2 MTYEbXNnSWQDNDQwMDcEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTE4MTM1MzUzOQ--> Re: church Posted by: " Amy Jamison " <mailto:neversayuncle@...?Subject=%20Re%3A%20church> neversayuncle@... <http://profiles.yahoo.com/amydeanelle> amydeanelle Fri Jun 8, 2007 5:27 am (PST) Trina, You're so funny. I love it. Maybe we should all start a church together and call poop smearing worship! haha You may really be onto something... haha Your memories gave me a warm fuzzy. Why don't we all do that? So we aren't sad? Let's all post one memory of God, Allah, Spirit, or church, or faith (of any kind...I realize we may have different theologies or backgrounds)... something that we can all think about today if our kids grab food off of someone's plate at Chili's when we are paying out, or when the schools call to say that classroom you spent 5 hours in an IEP planning on won't be ready by August, or when your ex-mother-in-law says you are selfish because you won't institutionalize your child, or when your friends just " don't get it. " etc. Let's have the warm fuzzy memory to overpower the negative stuff.... Mine is sitting around in vacation bible school with Mrs. Brown. She was a very large woman... who smelled like an angel and had long beautiful fingernails. She was reading about Antioch...and I obsessed over the way the word sounded as it rolled off her tongue. That /k/ at the was so beautiful and heavenly...and I kept saying it over and over as we made our little sand jar creations with toothpicks...crackle sliding in the jar. I remember looking up at the pictures of Jesus and all of the disciples on the wall... and I remember feeling like they were looking at me and I thought they looked like my dad & uncles...really sweet and kind. Anyway, that's my memory. Seems a little autistic doesn't it? haha What are yours? Have a great day everyone! Amy and Trina Sherman < <mailto:csherman7%40austin.rr.com> csherman7@...> wrote: Thank you for the bible passage. While I have given up on organized churches when it comes to my son I know somehow I named him for a reason. I don't feel we need church to believe in God and do his work. And I don't have the energy to enlighten and organize a program for my son right now. My priorities always seem so different than everyone else. For instance when we were reading " A purposeful life " as part of our mega church I almost laughed. I know my purpose I didn't pick it but I sure don't need to ponder it. I long for the kind of church I went to when I was a child here in Austin. We met in other churches on off days or in other buildings. The children's ministry didn't require memorization or rote learning. We heard bible stories, talked about them and sang songs with a guitar in a circle on the floor. I loved when we had Wednesday night pot luck at a church and we all played hide and seek in all the nooks and crannies of the building. Often I would sneak in the chapel and talk to God all alone in the dim light. Back then church was less about money and missions and more about knowledge and love. Maybe the hippies had a good idea. That's what I need now, hippie church. Smile and Blessings everyone. Trina > > Hi Gayla - > > I am sorry that happened. You mentioned that it's a " mega-church " . > If that's the case, then I would urge you to discuss your feelings > with a member of the ordained staff. If the children's minister who > called you is ordained, then I would definitely start there. If he > or she is laity, they may not have fully appreciated your situation, > particularly during the chaos of VBS. The folks with the theology > degrees, however, are paid to pastor accordingly. By the end of the > conversation, you'll know if they're prepared to minister to your > unique family. I sincerely hope they can. > > 25:40 and Mark 10:14 are clear on God's love for ALL > children, and His expectations of those who work with them. As a > parent, 9:1-3 had a life-changing impact on me personally. When > explaining why a man was born blind, Jesus told the disciples " this > happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. " > ( 9:3b). WOW! To know that my twins' severe disability, > something which makes our days so difficult, could reflect the hand > of God himself seizing the opportunity to reveal himself...it doesn't > get any better than that. > > Take care - Clay > > " Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. " - Baker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I must say, we've been very blessed at our church as well...West Houston Church of Christ, in Copperfield. There isn't any formal ministry for kids with disabilities, but they have always been very accepting and welcoming of Connor. He isn't the only kid or adult there with a disability, so it's not " strange " to them. He is high-functioning, but does wander and won't necessarily pay attention to the lesson. But whenever I pick him up from class, they say " oh, he did great! He didn't sit down, but he did just fine! " -- they're understanding about his wandering, the kids are very accepting of him, etc. I've talked to the Children's Minister about doing a few more " formal " things later on to better accomodate our kids with disabilities, but for now they are very accepting and really try to make Connor a true part of the kids' activities. At VBS last year, one of the teens assigned to his group was a teenage girl with ADHD who really understood him and she was assigned to his group for that reason. I didn't ask for that, but again the church went out of their way to try and accomodate Connor. Every quarter the teachers will ask what he is allowed to do, how can they help him more, etc. I was blessed last year to find out that a special ed aide who goes to our church was working in the classroom next to his at ESY, so she kept up with him for me. We have several people like that who are great resources. When his ARD comes up I just mention it to my small group and I have people offering to watch my daughter so my husband and I can both go. A dear friend of mine in this group used to teach special ed, so again there's another person who is a good " sounding board " for me. Bottom line, Connor is accepted and loved there, and people are always asking what they can do for us. God's love is shining through these people and they truly appreciate Connor for who he is and the gifts he offers. I know how important that is as he learns about God and develops a faith in Him! e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 my husband and I just stopped going to church. we would love to go. my five year old with autism was hard for the women to handle. we had to bring him with us in the sanctuary and we ended up leaving early. it was also a " mega church " my husband likes that church though. we need to think of something. we need that time tow orship. www.youravon.com/shardin --------------------------------- Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 My sister attends Richland Hills Church of Christ (about 3,000 members) and they have a program called Breaking the Barriers for persons with special needs. My sister's son is affected by autism and attends class with neuro typical children. They have a " velcro buddy " program for kids who need assistance in class or children's worship. They also have a class for older kids and young adults who like to hang out together. The program is young, but growing rapidly. --- Shari Hardin wrote: > my husband and I just stopped going to church. we > would love to go. my five year old with autism was > hard for the women to handle. we had to bring him > with us in the sanctuary and we ended up leaving > early. it was also a " mega church " my husband likes > that church though. we need to think of something. > we need that time tow orship. > > www.youravon.com/shardin > > --------------------------------- > Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! > Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's > economy) at Yahoo! Games. > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ The fish are biting. Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing. http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v2.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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