College Church in Wheaton, Illinois has been “around the block“ in disability ministry for 55 years! The ministry team keeps learning and is more invested than ever. Their story is rich with inspiration for those who are still dreaming. According to the minutes from a November 15, 1965 Christian Education Board meeting, it all started with one little boy and one woman named Jean Hooten who had a heart for people with disabilities.
At first it was slow going. Six months into the new ministry, there was progress in that young boy’s life but no other families involved. Yet even as changes were happening in public education, families began coming to church. Within two years, there were nine children being served and two classrooms. “I’ve been told nothing daunted Jean,” says Julie Clemens who is the current Director of Disability Ministries at College Church.
At College Church, they call individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities STARS (Seeking to Always Reflect the Savior) because they shine for Jesus. They believe that STARS are created by God for a purpose and are an indispensable part of the body of Christ. The church desires to make access to worship, ministry and fellowship a reality for them and their families.
Today, this church has a full-time special needs ministry director (40+ hours/week), a half time administrative support person (20 hours/week), a part time ministry associate for young families (15 hours/week), a ministry associate for respite (5 hours/week) and a ministry associate for music (10 hours/week). Julie admits that recruiting volunteers is always a struggle. But she is relentless in asking for help. There are 175 volunteers serving throughout the year. This includes a team of high school students who come alongside the teens with special needs on Sunday mornings and at respite nights.
This massive team supports 149 STARS friends ranging in age from 3 to 63 years old! In addition to regular Sunday School programming, College Church offers a STARS choir on Sunday evenings, Praise in Action music class with hand chimes and drums on Wednesday evenings and monthly respite nights. Friday Night Fun is for teens and adults, while Buddy Break is for young STARS and their siblings. A parent support group is currently taking a break but parent fellowship has been running since the 1970s. In the summer, there are soccer camps and music camp.
“All of our programs are scheduled around an opportunity to get parents to church, or moms to Bible Study,” Julie explains. “We have two hours of classes so parents can attend an adult community as well as church.”
Greg Schmidt, a 34-year member of College Church, is the father of an adult daughter with Angelman Syndrome named Hope. Hope is now 29 years old and lives in a group home but still attends church with her dad. “We have been so well loved by our church leadership, staff and fellow members.” He and his wife, Cathy watched their church pour into Hope’s life through prayer, worship, attendance in Sunday School and sermons. “She loves standing with the congregation when we sing and often bounces with joy during the music. From an early age, Cathy would have Hope put her head down in Cathy’s lap when the sermon began. My wife has passed away but Hope does that to this day with me.”
Julie adds, “As Greg mentioned, we enjoy our STARS in worship. In the last three years, the church moved communion from after the sermon to before the sermon. This was huge for us. It enabled the STARS to participate before leaving for their STARS class.”
People with disabilities are also involved in serving and co-laboring as partners in ministry. The Gifted to Serve program is headed up by a parent team. The STARS help serve coffee and donuts on Sunday mornings. There is also a parent-STARS clean-up team that comes in before the evening service to straighten up all of the pews, pick up litter, replace dull pencils and more. There is a front door ministry for greeters and several STARS serving as ushers.
Julie shares that the STARS help lead worship on STARS Ministry Sunday. “This is usually once a year but we were able to offer it twice in 2019!” She adds, “This is tricky. We would rather this happen more often. One challenge is that we have a high level of musical expertise in our congregation with the Wheaton Conservatory across the street. Of course, we all love to hear amazing music but how will the joy be expressed? If only expertise is desired, we’re all missing something.”
Julie is excited about Inclusion Fusion Live 2020, a conference that has been a wonderful encouragement to her. “Just as pastors go to conferences to learn and to rub shoulders with like-minded people, leaders involved with disability ministries also need that. In fact, I would say we need it more. At a conference like Inclusion Fusion Live we are with hundreds of people who get it. It encourages, it motives, it helps you dream for our friends.” She adds, “Ministries of all ages and sizes benefit. You can learn how to start ministries, how to support siblings, train volunteers, and more. I’ve especially appreciated learning more about specialties that are less known like mental health and PTSD associated with medical procedures.”
In choosing Illuminate as the theme for Inclusion Fusion Live 2020, the Key Ministry team aims to serve as a light drawing attention to the urgent need for more churches to become intentional in their ministry with children and adults with disabilities. We celebrate the decades-long passion and Christ-centered ministry of College Church. We’re hopeful #IFL2020 will reflect the spirit of Ephesian 5:13-14 inspiring and equipping numerous churches to bring the light of the Gospel to special needs families. Please register today and join us April 24th and 25th in Cleveland!
But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Ephesians 5:13
Lisa Jamieson is a caregiver consultant, pastoral counsellor and author of popular books and Bible studies including Finding Glory in the Thorns and Jesus, Let’s Talk. Lisa and her husband, Larry, live in Minnesota with the youngest of their three grown daughters, Carly, who has Angelman Syndrome. Together, the Jamiesons founded Walk Right In Ministries in 2008, a non-profit organization building faith and community with special needs families.
