By Paul Hathcoat
PASTOR’S CORNER
Does your church have a special needs or disability ministry? Is your church diverse or multicultural? Does the congregation you belong to support, celebrate, and include people of all colors, nationalities and abilities? Are churches in the U.S. getting more diverse and inclusive or less? These questions and more are important to ask and answer as the church continues to try to become more effectively relevant and integrated into the culture and communities around it. There is no doubt and statistics show that the American church is shrinking. Is the church failing somehow and what can we do about it? In my opinion, the special needs community being absent from many churches is one of the reasons why they have not fully thrived and grown. How can we help? We already know that God has built all humans to work together in unity to make the healthiest of communities (1 Corinthians 1:10). I also know from experience that the members of many special needs communities are some of the most vibrant, inviting, forgiving, loving and REAL people in those churches, and their impact is indispensable and essential to its health. They are not typically the big tithers or the super communicators that many churches often covet in their congregants. Who they are though, are the same people that Jesus spent so much of His time with while He walked the earth. That example shows us the true
importance of doing life with all the people we share a zipcode with and even saving our time and attention for those who are different and seem to need more help. Why not place our neighbors with disabilities on stage, or on church boards and staffs? Why not honor them with the same opportunities that typically developed people have? I continue to ask these questions. In Central Indiana there are dozens of churches who have healthy and thriving disability ministries. These congregations are at the forefront of the inclusion wave within the faith community and their ability to recognize the importance of setting a plate at the table for everyone, brings blessing and true joy to their people. They have recognized, through inclusion and diversity, that by treating everyone as a son and daughter of God, and by not categorizing and stereotypically labeling them, that their community comes alive and starts to become a truer version of God’s ultimate plan for His people. That inherent love and acceptance in those congregations are what all churches should be striving for. And, let me say to you the reader, it is attainable in every church with your and my help and influence. What if my church doesn’t have a disability ministry? Well, if you remember from last month’s article, it only takes one passionate person to help get that type of ministry started. Is that you? How do we get the youth, adults and families living with special needs in our community to even come to our church? Will they even show up? If you host it, they will come! Host a respite night. Host a parent support group. Host a holiday dance or an outdoor movie night and take to social media to get the word out. I have found here in Noblesville, that there are still hundreds of families in my own area who still don’t know about the solid Christ-centered special needs ministries around them. In the areas of the state that don’t yet have churches who offer these types of supports – THE PEOPLE ARE WAITING. Whether you get one or 50 people to show up to your first event, it is worth it! Keep at it, go find the people and pray and ask God to bless your humble efforts. God wants to be able to have His glory shine through you and those whom He has created with disabilities. He tells us that “my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Lord bless our efforts and our lives. We trust in you! Paul Hathcoat Email: phathcoat@wrcc.org Ph #: 317-840-5558 Do you have a thought, idea or information that you would like to see in this section in an upcoming issue? Email Paul Hathcoat – phathcoat@wrcc.org.
24 Special Needs Living • February 2021
