If you need more resources for your church in how to serve people living with disabilities, visit www.joniradio.org.
SHAUNA: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. We’ve had a great season of Retreats and Getaways, haven’t we, Joni?
JONI: We sure have! And you and your daughter Sarah went to Family Retreat this summer, isn’t that, right?
SHAUNA: That’s right! We had a blast! We always do! And I got to meet lots of new families this year, Joni. Like Roger and Merry and their daughter Colleen, who has Down syndrome. Merry was so transparent when she told me how angry she got when Colleen was born. Merry was homeschooling eight kids, heartbroken over three prior miscarriages, and simply exhausted. She admitted that, honestly, she was so overwhelmed, she wanted to die.
JONI: Wow.
SHAUNA: But God told this precious mother that Colleen was a special blessing, even though it didn’t feel that way.
JONI: Well, just listening to you Shauna, I just bet you can relate, with your own Sarah having Down syndrome and all sorts of medical issues that are pretty tough.
SHAUNA: So many of the details surrounding Colleen’s story resonate with me, Joni. Sadly, our two families have had similar experiences that left us feeling lonely and rejected. Colleen’s family got kicked out of churches because their little girl wanted to dance during worship, and I remember being asked to leave church when Sarah was a little too loud. Merry confided that there never seemed to be a place of belonging for Colleen. And boy, my spirit sank when I heard that because I know exactly how she feels. But everything changed for Sarah and me when we found Joni and Friends, and Merry says the same is true for her! Oh, Joni! Merry beamed when she told me that her whole family feels accepted at Family Retreat. And Colleen can worship there and of course they’re not kicked out. Quite the opposite, she’s celebrated!
JONI: Oh, my goodness,well, I just love hearing that Colleen’s family found a place of belonging with Joni and Friends, but don’t you agree, we need to do more. I mean, I hear about families who drive for more than nine hours to get to Family Retreat because it’s the only place they feel accepted. Yet just think of the many churches that those families drive by – churches that could be inviting them into their fellowship. And it’s not just kids with disabilities. It’s their non-disabled siblings, as well. It breaks my heart knowing that families struggling with a disability have such a hard time making connections outside of Family Retreat. A Christian community is needed isn’t it, during that other 51 weeks of the year, and its why Joni and Friends provides church training resources to equip local churches in disability ministry. I love that!
SHAUNA: Me too! And we’ve got all sorts of powerful resources online! Videos that teach “Five Steps to Starting a Disability Ministry” or “How to Adapt Bible Study Curriculum.” And there are lots of free downloadable PDFs that cover just about every church training topic you can imagine. Listening friend, the church is not complete if it’s missing people with disabilities, so go to joniradio.org for ideas on how to make your church a place of belonging for everyone!
JONI: Oh, yes and let’s bring families living with disability into the body of Christ today. Just go to joniradio.org to make it happen in your church! And Shauna, we’re going to be praying for Colleen and her family.
SHAUNA: Always.
JONI: Oh, and one more thing, when we serve the needy, we also please God. And it’s why I want you to go over to my radio page today at joniradio.org and ask for our Joni and Friends newsletter. It’s filled with opportunities for you to serve people with disabilities in the name of Jesus. Oh, and I have to add one more. Just love Jesus because nothing pleases the father more!
© Joni and Friends