Worshipping with children of intellectual disabilities, what an amazing experience! How can the Lord be so exact in His blessings? How can He be so complete in His effectiveness? Here's how!
Imagine a tall and active teenager walking, running and jumping, ALL DAY LONG. No words come from his mouth, just high pitched “pings” and “dongs”. His hands tell the world of this day’s fast-moving adventure in stiff gestures that only he can interpret. What a wonderful young man!
It is time for our chapel service. (He bounces in.) We sing the Hello Song quietly. (He sits down?) I say a prayer for the children’s families, the volunteers, the staff and the leadership. (He is sitting.) We sing “This Little Light of Mine” softly using our own hand gestures. I look over to him. (He is still seated!) He has a look of contriteness on his face! What a rare expression in this day and age. This worship experience is comfortable for him. His soul is relaxing here.
It is time for our chapel service. (He bounces in.) We sing the Hello Song quietly. (He sits down?) I say a prayer for the children’s families, the volunteers, the staff and the leadership. (He is sitting.) We sing “This Little Light of Mine” softly using our own hand gestures. I look over to him. (He is still seated!) He has a look of contriteness on his face! What a rare expression in this day and age. This worship experience is comfortable for him. His soul is relaxing here.
(Our calm teenage friend sat through two more songs, a children’s sermon and received a hands-on blessing! The last I saw him he was gently walking down the hall with his child care specialist and a group of friends. Did he start jumping and pinging an adventure again a little later? I’m sure that he did. But maybe now he has a new story to tell and a new place to rest.
Worshipping with children of intellectual disabilities is an amazing experience! The Lord is exact in His blessings. He is complete in His effectiveness!
Worship for All is a mindset and method of Christian worship designed for people of Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and other significant disabilities. As exampled in this post, Worship for All is a tree in one location that has been bearing fruit for almost a year. It is time to plant an orchard. Want to help? Contact us today to learn how!
This is the “Worship For All” blog. It has a heavenly ending!
Next up: "Voodoo!"
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