Every month, Lisa Werst goes home from helping in a church ministry to special
needs families – amazed.
Every month, Lisa Werst goes home from helping in a church ministry to special
needs families – amazed.
“When I go home, I cant imagine what these people do on a daily
basis,” says Werst, childrens ministry director at First Baptist
Church of Colleyville, Texas. “They have amazing strength. Were just
such a small part of ministering to them.”
Statistics indicate nearly 53 million Americans have disabilities, 33 million
of which are severe. Therefore, 33 million American families deal daily with
extra doctor visits, special care and overcoming obstacles to fit in with society.
One obstacle these families often face is a lack of acceptance in churches.
Indeed, about 90 percent of special needs families are unchurched, Werst notes.
In response to such needs, First Baptist Church of Colleyville began an Evening
Stars Respite Care ministry last fall. The effort is designed to provide temporary
relief to the caregivers of special needs children in the community.
Each month, about 38 families bring their special needs children and siblings
to the free childcare event. Some parents drive up to 40 miles to get this much-needed
break from caregiving, to enjoy about four precious hours of free time.
Erica Freeman directs Evening Stars outreach and is a physical therapist who
works with special needs children. She says she first got a vision for the ministry
when she was a college student and saw a similar ministry at a church.
Years later, settled at First Baptist Church of Colleyville, she and her husband,
Clint, decided the time was right to launch their own special needs effort.
About the same time, fellow church members Francis and Harold Hiner expressed
a desire for a special needs ministry at the church. The Hiners have an adult
daughter who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child and who also shows
signs of autism. They know firsthand about the difficulties of finding a church
that welcomes children and families with special needs.
“When our daughter was small, it wasnt a big problem because she
wasnt real disruptive,” Frances Hiner says. “She likes to read
and loves to hear Bible stories.”
However, by age 10, the girl no longer fit in with her peers. The family moved
often as a result of military and work career. Each time, they would visit churches
until they found one that seemed willing to work with them to provide for their
daughter. They insist they always could tell which churches did not want them.
“They dont tell you that, but you can tell,” Frances Hiner
explains.
She recounts the difficulty she had locating a church on one of their moves.
After making many discouraging phone calls to churches, she finally found one
with a pastor who had two special needs children.
“They welcomed us with open arms because they knew what we were going
through,” she says.
The Hiners ultimately returned to the Colleyville area. “Since it was
such a huge church focused on community outreach, we felt there was a need for
a ministry there,” Hiner says. “People dont understand that
there is a major need for this.”
The Freemans and the Hiners were paired up to organize Evening Stars. The ministry
has been underway for more than a year now, and it took awhile to build up enough
workers. Since the ministry is one-on-one, the church needs as many volunteers
as they have children each week.
Each volunteer goes through an application process to determine his or her
best ministry position. Volunteers may serve in a support capacity or work with
a special needs child or with a sibling of a special needs child. Many find
ways to use their vocational skills in ministry. Evening Stars currently has
four nurses, a doctor, a counselor and several special education teachers on
their volunteer list.
Many of the children are paired with the same volunteers each time and grow
attached to that person. One little girl has Retts syndrome, a neurological
disorder that causes multiple and profound disabilities. She is wheelchair-bound
and cannot communicate other than expressing emotions such as happiness or sadness.
“There is a volunteer that she has really bonded with – shes
actually a nurse – and the parents are just so thankful for this volunteer,”
Freeman recounts.
One couple celebrating an anniversary brought their four children to Evening
Stars so that they could spend some time alone together for the first time in
three years.
“They came back and said all they did was go to the lake and sit for three
hours and talk,” Freeman notes.
As a physical therapist involved in home care, she says she sees what special
needs situations do to adult parents. “There appears to be a lot of divorce
in these situations,” Freeman says. “So, Im glad we can allow
married couples to have time together – to have some relief. This couple
is always so supportive and thankful for the program.”
To take advantage of Evening Stars, parents complete an application providing
the details of each childs specific needs. The outreach accepts children
with special needs who do not require constant nursing care, and their siblings
up to age 12. So far, the ministry has dealt with about 15 different disabilities,
such as Downs syndrome, epilepsy, autism, cerebral palsy, psychological
and emotional disorders, Beals syndrome, blindness, and hearing impairments.
Several children have multiple disabilities.
Parents must make reservations two weeks in advance for each monthly respite
night. Volunteers are pre-assigned to children and already have become familiar
with that childs needs. Each volunteer greets his or her child at the
check-in table. Young children and older ones who are non-ambulatory are taken
to age appropriate rooms in the churchs preschool and nursery area.
Older children go with their volunteers to a large group room equipped with
an indoor jungle gym facility, games and coloring stations. After wearing themselves
out during a lengthy time of free play, children are directed to other activities
such as snacks, videos, music, crafts or story time.
Several special needs families have joined the church as a result of the Evening
Stars ministry. In addition to the Evening Stars ministry, the Hiners also teach
a special needs Sunday School class, providing an opportunity for parents to
attend church without worrying about their child.
The parents of one of their students said they had not been able to attend
church together in seven years because there was no one to keep their son. “Its
rewarding to know that the parents can go to church and be a part of a Christian
group,” Hiner says.
In addition to those families, ministry workers try to reach out to the unchurched
parents as well. They give them lots of information about the church, and invite
them to various special events. Last year, they had a Christmas party for the
families.
“Most of them, I know, have never gone to church before,” Freeman
explains. “I feel like they are seeing how much we love them and their
children and how much Christ loves them. I feel like were getting there
on some of them.” (BP)