Several years ago, Terri Miller watched a young girl stop coming to nursery at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) because she needed a level of supervision the church’s children’s ministry could not provide.
In the fall of 2004, Miller received a phone call from the father of an autistic boy who wanted to know if the church had a program during services to accommodate his son.
‘My heart and whole body was shaking because I had no experience (or program) for that type of thing, but I knew God was pushing me to do it,? said Miller, who said yes to the phone call.
In response to those incidents, Miller, the Director of Children’s Ministry at CELC, teamed up with several other volunteers from the congregation to form a ministry for those exceptional children and their family in Dec. 2004.
Currently, the Special Friends Inclusion Ministry (SFIM) provides one-on-one companionship for three to five special needs children age fifth grade and lower. Older children will be accommodated if they sign up. The volunteers work to include the children in the normal Sunday school activities enjoyed by about 80 other children while their parents are at service.
Prior to the Sunday lesson, the special needs children can participate at activity centers featuring a variety of games and activities. The program often includes skits and other large group instruction.
‘We knew there are a lot of people unchurched who have a special needs person in their family and that may prevent them from coming,? said Miller.
This past summer, the group of approximately seven volunteers tested SFIM at Calvary’s Vacation Bible School, learning what issues needed to be addressed before starting the program on Sundays.
The SFIM program starts at 9:32.5 a.m., prior to CELC’s 9:45 a.m. Sunday service. The start time allows parents to drop off their children and avoid missing any part of worship. Parents are provided pagers so they can be reached if a problem arises while at service.
The unique start time has special significance to the volunteers. The number refers to an AM radio station WLuke at 932.5 and the Bible’s Luke 9:32.5. Miller explained the scripture passage discusses when the disciples awoke to ‘Jesus in all His glory.?
‘We want people to wake up on a Sunday and feel that desire to get here and not have any excuse,? said Miller.
‘The last thing we want is a parent staying home because (his or her) child has a handicap,? said SFIM volunteer Lyn Grose.
According to Miller, the program is funded by items donated from the community (the pagers) and congregation, as well as a grant received in 2005 from the Mt. Zion Church Foundation of Troy. Dedicated volunteers and their time are the most valuable commodity needed to run the program, said Miller, who pointed out the group is still looking for more volunteers.
In the future, the SFIM volunteers hope to add children with special needs grades 6-12 to the Sunday program. They also want to offer SFIM services at the 7 p.m. program on Wednesdays, but have not had children sign up for those services.
‘Part of the future goal is to connect with parents and siblings to provide emotional support,? said Jayne Bannister, a volunteer, church member and special education teacher at Springfield Plains Elementary School. ‘Special needs children require sacrifices, but within those sacrifices are the blessings.?
Those interested in volunteering or enrolling their special needs child should call CELC at 248-625-3288 ext. 216. or goodnews@calvary-lutheran.org.
(Note: There is a process to setting up a child with a volunteer, parents are to call ahead and complete that process before dropping off their children. CELC is located at 6805 Bluegrass Drive in Independence Township.)