Leading a Special Needs Ministry by Amy Fenton Lee

When we first began our special needs ministry it was all because of a fantastic little boy named Robbie. With these kids came parents who were thirsty for the Word and in desperate need of a place where their family would be accepted, protected, loved, and could grow. God has brought children who cannot walk, cannot talk, or have an extra chromosome. I’ve had the privilege of partnering with many special needs families over 15 years at my church. Those who are living with a disability are not to be a distraction or a hindrance to our work in Kids Ministry, they are meant to be an opportunity for us to grow – to grow as Christ followers and as teachers of His Word. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light.

We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. His disciples asked, ‘Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?’ Jesus said, ‘You’re asking the wrong question. In John 9:1-2 we find the following in the scriptures, “Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. Scripture refers to “ disability” over 450 times, so it is certainly something that is close to the heart of God. Often the words “special needs” or “disability” is used to define these broken people. Those who seem broken to the outside world. We get to welcome those who are misfits in this world: those with disabilities – who don’t look, talk, walk, learn, or hear the same as typical people do. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned-oh, how it will be returned! -At the resurrection of God’s people.” Luke 14:12-14 (MSG)Įach week as the leaders in the church, we have the opportunity to invite the broken into our classrooms. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor.

Leading a Special Needs Ministry by Amy Fenton Lee