Flint Hills Church is a smaller church. On the average Sunday, we welcome about 80-90 adults and 40-50 children. Our church is not a mega church by far, but what we do have is an abundance of love. Our goal is to, in every way possible, be the hands and feet of Jesus. This goal led us to start an annual community service Sunday; we dismiss church to serve our community and help those who may not be able to help themselves. Our goal brought us to have a Harvest Block Party every Halloween so our community’s children could have a safe place to celebrate and play. This goal has also led us to be intentional about welcoming adults and children with both mental and physical disabilities.
I could talk about a multitude of things here. I could tell you about our amazing lead pastor who juggles more than humanly possible, all while maintaining his composure and showing love and grace to his flock. I could tell you about our creative genius of a children’s pastor who hides behind the scenes while working tirelessly. He doesn’t just teach the kids about God; he makes the Bible interactive and accessible to our children in many formats. These men have taught me what it means to be a pastor, a true shepherd of these precious sheep God has given us. I could talk about team building and volunteer training. I could tell you about what it is like to lead a special needs ministry. But today, it makes much more sense to tell you about why any church can do this special needs ministry “thing.” Because we did with a newbie ministry leader, a little bit of grit, a tiny budget, and a whole lot of prayer. If we can do it, so can you.
Step 1: The People
Decide who your first people group is. There really is much to do in the special needs ministry field. There are programs that specifically focus on autism, there are mental health programs, and blended programs, to give a few examples. Once you know your people, you can focus on learning and implementing your process.
When we looked at our goals as a church ministry, we decided to be as blended as possible. We wanted to welcome the autistic adult next to the agoraphobic teenager, the abled child next to the disabled one; this view has helped us grow to welcome those society deems broken. We purpose to see them the way God sees them: beautiful. You find your people, then you make your plan.
Step 2: The Plan
This is a pretty simple one, but it is well worth stating. To reach people, you will need a plan. We connected with our local school district to bless them, we made weighted blankets for those in need, and eventually, we started doing respite nights. We showed up at our local developmental center with donations and got involved with local occupational, physical, and speech therapists. We formed connections. Your church can do this too!
Step 3: The Progress
This is the doing process. Here’s where I get to truly tell you about Flint Hills Embrace. I’ve listed matter-of-factly what we have done. Let me tell you why.
The school district gift was the first big outreach, so it’s logical to start there. In most communities, the special education professionals are forgotten. Their work is almost overlooked; this is the area of education society keeps hush hush. That is why we wanted to be intentional about thanking them. We thanked every single teacher, paraprofessional, and speech, occupational, and physical therapist with a small snowman and a thank you card. All the schools received school supplies. We say thank you, and we leave it at that every year.
We made weighted blankets for the people in our community. For two years, we have made these blankets because of the large amount of poverty in our community. Fifty-nine percent of our public-school kids qualify for free or reduced lunch. We knew the impacted community could not afford blankets, especially when they were more expensive than a couple years ago. That is what brought us to making blankets for nothing but a donation, and the community need is why we continued. The blankets bring just a little bit of peace in the chaos. That wasn’t enough, though.
Respite is one of the biggest needs of special needs families. High stress and few options for a break can seriously impact the relationships and mental health of these family members and caregivers. With limited quality time, neurotypical siblings struggle. Marriages can lose some of their beauty and become monotonous—or worse—they can fragment. Both happen at no fault of the impacted child. In fact, these children are sources of great hope and joy to their parents and families. However, just like any family, each person needs personal investment and quality time. The problem: our society is failing these families. The only way to help this problem is to do something about it. This is our favorite thing we do. It’s three hours of loving the most amazing children. We join in their laughter, comfort them in tears, and we love them. These children, through our intentional interaction, become much more than their diagnosis. We begin to see them as their families do: amazing humans with much to offer our world.
This is the bottom line: all we have ever done is live with empathy and walk in love. Every church, no matter their size, can do that. There is so many ways to do this. Find your way. Remember, winning special needs families to Christ is more of a marathon than a sprint. However, it is precious, beautiful, and necessary. Without these families and all their amazing members, the body of Christ is incomplete.
Joanna French is the special needs pastor at Flint Hills Church, Junction City, KS. Joanna and her husband Jairmie have two boys with autism. In 2017, Joanna started Flint Hills Embrace with the goal to make Flint Hills Church a place where everyone belongs. Why? Because we all have a place in God's plan.
