Hey, it’s Friday, and welcome to Joni and Friends!
And I hope you have a great weekend planned; I know Ken and I do. Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and thanks for spending these few minutes with me. As you know, I’m always sharing stories of people who inspire me in my walk with Christ, and today is no different. I want to tell you about the Reverend Richard Weber who serves as the pastoral care leader at the Bethany Group in Alberta, Canada. Pastor Weber has a real burden for the disabled people and seniors who reside at Bethany Group – it’s kind of a group home – and bless that man’s heart, he is trying so hard to get the churches and the Bible colleges (there are two of them nearby), Pastor Weber has been trying for some time to have other believers catch the vision of helping at this center.
In fact, just last Sunday, Pastor Weber wheeled 28 people to church on Sunday – it took him more than an hour; he could have gotten more people in wheelchairs to attend, but he had to start the service on time for the others who had been patiently waiting. And you know what, Pastor Weber is tired. Frankly, he told me in his letter that he’s a little discouraged, too. He has spent most of his life as a pastor looking for ways to shepherd those who have no one to shepherd them – and this is why after he got his degree, he decided not to preach from a church pulpit to a typical congregation, but he decided to look for those opportunities, whether in homeless shelters, hospice centers, prisons, or residential homes like the Bethany Group. He went into places like these to reach for Christ those who had little access to the Gospel, those who were unable to attend a regular church.
And this is why Pastor Richard Weber believes his ministry at Bethany Group is, indeed, a high calling. What hurts though, is that a number of the clergy in town have told him that his work is “not a proper work for a clergyman. With your degree, you should be ministering in a normal church.” Normal?! No wonder Richard Weber is battling against discouragement. He can’t even get his pastor friends to mobilize volunteers out of their own churches to help push people in wheelchairs to the Sunday services at the Bethany Group. Anyway, so this is what I’m going to do.
I’ve written a little booklet I’ve entitled “Disability Tips for Pastors” and I’m going to send Pastor Richard 5 or 6 copies for him to hand deliver to those clergymen in town – and I’m going to ask Richard to say they are gifts from Joni Eareckson Tada and hopefully, it’ll give them a little nudge in the direction of the Bethany Group and the elderly and disabled people who live there. After all, look at how many times Jesus went out of his way to meet the needs of disabled people in his day and there’s no better example than the Savior himself who told us in Luke 14 to go out, find the lame, blind, and disabled and bring them in.
Oh, by the way, if you’d like a copy of my booklet “Disability Tips for Pastors,” then you need to let me know at joniandfriendsradio.org or you can always just ring me up toll free at 888-522-5664. Just ask for your free copy and we’ll get it off right away – you can give it to your pastor, or you can enjoy reading it yourself and glean a couple of helpful hints as how to give Christ’s love to someone with a disability. And don’t forget this is your last day to pick up your copy so let me hear from you, okay? Please keep following the example of Pastor Richard; keep reaching out to those no one is reaching out to: the least, the last, the lost and the littlest in the world’s eyes. Keep doing that and you’ll know, you’ll feel the favor of God. God bless you for doing it and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends