Page 9 - Presbyterian Connection, Spring 2020

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SPRING 2020
Children With Exceptionalities and Church
By Shelley Wedge, Exceptional Family Ministry Coordinator, Amberlea Presbyterian Church in Pickering, Ont.
When thinking about church, it is not common practice to think about children who are different. Normally, one just thinks about worshipping on Sunday morning, mingling with other Christians and gaining some per- spective on their life. It’s the package of the “perfect Sunday morning.” It’s what we’ve been programmed to do from childhood. There is a routine, a method and generally just a way of doing things.
But what happens when this so- called normalcy gets shaken up? What happens when a child with autism attends the Sunday morn- ing service and suddenly the picture changes? Are we accepting? Do we stare with thoughts of “Oh no” lurk- ing in our minds? When we see and hear things that aren’t normally as- sociated with our worship, how do we feel?
Personally, as a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, I cannot an- swer that question. Because I don’t live inside what our society calls “normalcy.” I have always been on the outside looking in, wondering what that would feel like.
You see, worship and church are
very important to our family, so we’ve had to find a way to make adjustments, not only to our way of thinking, but to our way of doing things. We couldn’t just sit back and complain about how it wasn’t work- ing for us—we needed to take action.
We are blessed to have the sup- port and love at Amberlea Presbyte- rian Church in Pickering, Ont., to help facilitate an Exceptional Needs Min- istry Program. This ministry is still in its infancy stage. Currently, we are focusing on autism, but in the future, we will look toward working on other exceptionalities as well.
On Sunday morning, we have a trained therapist who takes the lead in helping kids on the spectrum dur- ing church and Sunday school time. She understands autism and is able to support the kids who currently at- tend on a regular basis.
Our church has been very open and accepting of this initiative and we have implemented a sensory room to help these children if they need a break or a quiet place to go to. We received an initial grant of $1,500 from Canadian Ministries to set up the sensory room and to help sup- port a paid therapist. We are making improvements in approaching the special needs of children and creat- ing congregational awareness. We
desire for all children to be welcome and integrated. We plan to do more awareness training in the future with our congregation.
We have also implemented this into our summer VBC camp. These children can come, participate in activities and have fun just like all children. Unfortunately, this is not always the case when you have a child on the spectrum. Many times, you can be turned away and asked to leave a place. Sometimes your child is not accepted into a program because they do require support; and on the opposite side, the programs that do offer support are usually so expensive that they are simply not affordable for many parents. One summer I sent my son, who has autism, to the Toronto Zoo camp. Attending the camp alone was a fi-
nancial stretch, but then I had to pay a support person as well, otherwise he would not have been allowed to attend. This cost us three times what it normally would.
That was an expensive week and the only thing we were able to really do that summer as an extracurricular activity.
Parents who have children with exceptionalities want to come to church, but the burden is sometimes so great that they cannot do it.
If we want to bring people into the church and closer to God, we need to be more active in this area. This is where I am happy to say our church gets a gold star! Even if they don’t understand everything, they are open to helping us.
This year, our son is a teenager and he is now starting to take on more of
a leadership role as he has outgrown some of the younger programs. We made it happen because that is what he needs for growth and confidence. He is changing and growing and able to participate every Sunday, and this will not only enhance his relationship with God, but this will build skills for his future.
As I reflect on how far we have come and the lessons we have learned, I am grateful for this oppor- tunity to be involved in such a mean- ingful ministry. I look forward to ex- panding this program even more and inspiring more community involve- ment. God has called us to reach out. We are all God’s children, no matter what our abilities may be. God loves everyone unconditionally.
I am so blessed and grateful to be an integral part of Amberlea’s initiative on this program, and I look forward with anticipation to a future where we suppor t exceptional families.
Dr. Tori Smit.
presbyterian.ca/nominees2020. The 2020 General Assembly will convene Sunday evening, June 7,
2020, in Waterloo, Ont.
Connection
LEADERSHIP
Ballot for Moderator of the 2020 GA
Four names appear on the ballot for Moderator of the 2020 General As- sembly: the Rev. Paulette Brown, minister at St. Andrew’s Presby- terian Church in Humber Heights, Toronto; the Rev. Mary Fontaine, minister and founding Director of Hummingbird Ministries, British Co- lumbia; the Rev. Dr. Daniel D. Scott, minister at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Bradford West Gwillim- bury; and Dr. Tori Smit, diaconal minister presently serving as Re- gional Minister for Faith Formation for the Synod of Central, Northeast- ern Ontario and Bermuda.
Ballots have been sent to presby- teries for members of presbytery to vote. The Committee to Advise the
The Rev. Paulette Brown.
Moderator will count ballots on April 1. Full bios for each of the nominees are available to read online, along with an informative Q&A in which
The Rev. Mary Fontaine.
the nominees share their earliest memories of church as well as their thoughts on a range of topics, from their recommendations for essen-
The Rev. Dr. Daniel Scott.
tial reading for the church to what they believe are the most impor tant features and principles of faith- ful discipleship and ministry. Visit
PRESBYTERIAN
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY