Right now I'm enrolled in Dr. Kress's Special Needs class. This class has been very thought provoking, and the material is something I think about often. One of the more poignant thoughts has been the attention he drew to the fact that people with special needs are not involved in church. I had never really noticed this, but once he said it, it was like, oh my goodness; that's so true! Ever since that moment, I've been trying to come up with reasons why. Is it because they are incapable of being involved? Certainly, that might be the case for a few, but I think the majority would be capable of being involved. Is it because there aren't very many people with special needs who are Christians? If that's the case, why aren't they being reached?
This last weekend, I was able to go home and attend my home church on Sunday. I was shocked when the Pastor asked the ushers to come forward to take the offering and I saw Daniel walk forward. I remember when Daniel's mom found out she was pregnant with him. She was over 40, so the Dr.'s ran more tests than usual. Before giving birth, she found out Daniel would be born with Down's. As a toddler, it was discovered that Daniel was also autistic. However, I watched as he stood in front of the church, now 15 years old, grinning from ear to ear, taking the offering. It really touched me. It made me so happy to see him involved.
So, now I want to know why there isn't more involvement by people with special needs. They are capable, they are willing, so it must be that "abled people" don't let them. If this it true, it's a crying shame.
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