13 minute read
White River Christian Church Special Needs Ministry
BY LISA DEFILIPPO
When you become a special needs parent, your world seems to get smaller and smaller. Your social calendar can easily get scratched completely. Activities you once loved or thought you would love can’t accommodate your child’s special needs, so you don’t go. Places you thought your child would love now cause anxiety and angst, and let’s face it, sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth it. We learn that so much of this big world just isn’t equipped for our little ones; so, we naturally build a smaller, safer one. This small new world can quickly become isolating and lonely; but it doesn’t have to. Instead, this new worldview can shine a light on the places that are working hard FOR our special kids, that are designed to INCLUDE our special kids, they can act as beacons in an otherwise dark time, not just for us but everyone around us.
One such light (on the hill) is White River Christian Church (WRCC). Located in Noblesville and founded in 1972 by a small, prayer-filled home group, WRCC now serves over 1,800 people in their three locations, and even more significant, their special needs ministry has served hundreds of families since its beginning in 2011.
What makes this ministry, and this church so extra special isn’t just their monthly respite nights, their capacity to have four special needs classrooms [a high-support room, a kids’ room, a teen room and an adult room], a staff of volunteers and several 1-on-1 Buddies; it’s not their special community events like their annual talent show, summer adult camp or parent/caregiver enrichment conference; no, in addition to all of this awesomeness, their main mission is to help our kids understand the Bible as best they can and build a relationship with Jesus Christ.
“’This Christmas we want to do more than give financial resources. We have the opportunity to make an investment in the lives of individuals living with special needs that extends well past their physical needs. Our community of faith at WRCC is becoming an authentic gathering of all individuals. In a large range of age groups, individuals living with special needs could benefit from someone to assist with physical needs, teach them Bible lessons, and provide assistance during age-appropriate programming.’ This is what those who attended White River Christian Church heard as they sat in service in December of 2011: an invitation to help integrate and support individuals living with a disability into the Church,” explained Pastor Paul Hathcoat, who has helped start over 20 different ministries that support the special needs community throughout his time at WRCC.
Theresa Thompson, who still serves in the ministry to this day, wrote an email to the lead pastors at the time explaining how she attended a camp for people with disabilities and that she was paired with a young lady who attended WRCC, Pastor Hathcoat further explained. The young lady expressed her struggle to understand the Bible and that no one was there to help her make sense of it.
“In the email Theresa stated, ‘… after hearing the sermon and stating a desire to reach out to those with disabilities, I decided to ask a couple questions and put forward these prayer requests,’” he continued.
“God had his hand and blessing in the start of this ministry and WRCC chose to respond by investing in the mission with their time and financial resources… The old saying of ‘if you build it, they will come’ was exactly what happened. Once word got out about a church offering a special needs ministry, families from near and far started coming.”
Brooke Garcia was the ministry’s first director. Brandi Britton stepped in, followed by Hathcoat, and in the spring of 2023, Austin Ginther stepped into the role, leaving his job as a CPA to now serve the church full time. Ginther says it’s easy to see the hand of God at work since that December 12 years ago.
“My family and I were sitting in a Sunday service in 2019 and saw a slide come across the screen advertising the first annual special needs talent show,” said Ginther. “I had been involved in Special Olympics and Best Buddies prior to this, [and had a good friend in high school, Mitch, with special needs] and my mom and I looked at each other and both said, ‘let’s definitely go to this!’ We all attended as a family and, man, did God use that event in a greater way than I could imagine. Many student performances moved me to tears and I felt the desire to become involved. I went up to Pastor Paul and asked how I could be involved, and the rest is history!”
WRCC’s campus and outreach has grown tremendously over the past decade, and walking into the building, guests get to see exactly where their heart is with four amazingly equipped special needs classrooms nestled right next to the main worship sanctuary. Ginther’s ministry on Sundays generally consists of 15 volunteers over WRCC’s two services, averaging anywhere from 20-30 individuals total, and their monthly respite night events can bring in an average of 25 kids and teens with an additional 20-25 volunteers.
“White River has seen the immense blessings of this ministry, its people, and the inclusion of people of all abilities, since the beginning of its existence,” shared Hathcoat. “We currently have individuals with disabilities serving across the church on Sunday mornings. We have special needs students attending typical youth group retreats and large group experiences as well.”
In serving in this ministry, Ginther says, he has learned how to love genuinely, how to care for and encourage a friend, how to endure trial, how to let go and have fun and how to simply be the person God made him to be. “I could go on and on how I have been blessed,” he gushed. “I look forward to Sunday mornings knowing the smiles, laughs, hugs and encouragement that await myself and our team of awesome volunteers. My faith has been enriched through friendships I have with each student. I tell people all the time, and mean it, I can never give more back to the individuals we do ministry with than what they have each given me. God has used my position to enrich my faith through our students by getting to see first-hand how worship can look and feel, how powerful prayer is and how mighty He is.”
The recent faith-filled decision of one special young man moved the hearts of Ginther and his ministry, and the entire congregation: the baptism of 16-year-old Austin Fields. Austin has autism (autism spectrum disorder, or ASD) and a rare genetic disease that causes significant visual impairments, explained his mom, Melissa Fields. Because of this it’s hard for Austin to see well in dim or dark settings, plus he suffers from social anxiety associated with ASD, which can make new environments a real challenge.
“We tried several local churches over many years and never really found a place where he felt connected or supported in the way he needs,” said Mom. “About two years ago, his older sister, Cady, and I found out about the special needs ministry at WRCC from a neighbor and decided to give it a try. They allowed him to have a caregiver in his ‘special’ room as he became more familiar with the environment and routines at church. After a couple of weeks, he told us he didn’t need his caregiver to accompany him anymore and has been able to thrive in the teen special needs room ever since.”
“Austin has a giant heart and is constantly surrounded by the amazing support of his family, his caregivers and his school team, and he completely took the lead in his baptism!” she continued. “He decided he wanted to be baptized so he could tell everyone about his faith in God. He attended baptism classes with the pastors of the special needs ministry, Paul and Austin #2 (because my Austin claims to be Austin #1) over the summer. As a part of these classes, Austin shared that before he knew Jesus, he ‘didn’t know that there was a purpose to life.’
“We all watched his anxiety grow in the weeks leading up to his baptism,” Melissa continued. “Austin #2 graciously walked him through what would happen during his baptism several times in preparation. Even the morning of his big day, I wasn’t sure if he would actually go through with it—and I have no doubt that a big reason for his baptism was because of the love and support he had through the team in the special needs ministry at WRCC. As he was baptized by Austin #2, he bravely shared with our family and friends that ‘I know I am not alone, and God is always with me. I do not have to do it on my own.’”
“In the first few weeks following his baptism, I think he expected a radical, magical change to occur. Instead, our family at home and at church have been able to remind him of the need to be intentional about his faith-speaking kind words, praying to and praising God regularly, and even working on devotional workbooks at home,” she continued. “I have seen so many little changes in him since his big day in September. He seems more confident in himself and his ability to do hard things. He has been more respectful at home with less frequent verbal outbursts. He is more willing to talk to other people at church and school about his faith in God and how he knows that God is always ‘watching and there.’
“As his mama, I couldn’t be more proud of the amazing decision he made to share his faith openly through baptism, the bravery he displayed as he shared his story on his big day, or the intentionality in his walk with God that he has showed since being baptized,” shared Mom. “Our family will be forever grateful to and for the FAMILY that we have found at WRCC.”
“I recently read a book, Jesus and Disability: A Guide to Creating an Inclusive Church by Chris H Hulshof, and in the book Hans S. Reinders highlights the difference between ‘doing something for’ and ‘being with’ so well. He says, ‘It is the distinction between professional intervention and personal presence. “Being with” is not inspired by professional goals of improvement,’” said Ginther. “Our ministry wants to do life WITH individuals living with a disability by helping them belong to a community, become more like Jesus, and build God’s Kingdom together. We are all created in His image, and we believe the Church is incomplete without all parts of the body included. We see the importance of doing so directly in the Bible, ‘In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary’ (1 Corinthians 12:22 New Living Translation). People with disabilities should not be just included but should be seen as a vital part of the communities we live in and interact with!”
Jesse Graffis (volunteer) and Zach McMichael (volunteer) teaching Ben Roth (student) the weekly memory verse during kids service.
WRCC continues to grow and offer new services to the special needs community, hosting various events throughout the year for individuals and the entire family. “We are the host site for a summer camp for young adults with disabilities called Camp Joy Indiana each fall,” said Hathcoat. “We helped launch a first-of-its-kind post-high school, college-like continuing education and socialization school called Same As U in Noblesville. We are helping to support and grow a disability ministry in the country of Belize, and we recently held our 5th annual special needs talent show to a crowd of over 300 community members. This is but a small sampling of how this ministry has been a benefit to the people of WRCC, the community, and even the world. All we have to do is look around us to find the people and to see the benefits of ministries like this. ALL people are offered a place in God’s family and the WRCC Special Needs Ministry blesses our people every day by ensuring that this truth is lived out with dignity and grace for all.”
“Hundreds of individuals living with disabilities have been afforded the opportunity to find community, find a sense of belonging and acceptance, and, most importantly, learn about Jesus.”
For more information about WRCC and its amazing ministries, please visit https://www.wrcc.org.
Within your smaller world of safe spaces, I pray one of those for you and your family is a church environment. Knowing the Lord during the hard times of diagnosis and treatment plans can mean life or death for our minds and spirits. Finding a church that can accommodate the needs of our kids can be tricky, but what better place to find the love and support we so desperately need on this walk? And if you are interested in starting one at your church, you have a friend in WRCC. Simply reach out to Austin and he will gladly lead you through it. Blessings!
LISA
“Often, there are targeted service projects directed towards individuals living with a disability. This is great but when the program or event ends, the encounter is on hold until the next time. This is felt and noticed by individuals living with a disability and is discouraging… Our ministry wants to do life WITH individuals living with a disability by helping them belong to a community, become more like Jesus, and build God’s Kingdom together.”
AUSTIN GINTHER, WRCC SPECIAL NEEDS MINISTRY DIRECTOR
