“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'” Matthew 25:40*
Welcome to a discussion about a group most would consider part of “the least of these.” We are talking specifically about those with special needs and their families. We consider ourselves very qualified as we have 2 teenagers both with Autism. As a military family moving around every 3 or 4 years we experienced the struggle of finding a church that could welcome(handle?) the challenges. What do you do when the Hulk comes to visit? Seriously! Anyway, the process left us sad and disappointed in the established church.
How many people with special needs do you know? How many attend your church?
The US Census records suggest that 20% of the US population is challenged with one or more special needs.** Would you say 20% of the people you see at church have special needs? It is likely the answer is no. Now granted, there are many with “invisible” challenges but there are far more with visible challenges that we just do not see.
And why? Having lived with special needs children for 16 plus years we have lots of theories, all of which make us sad. There is a song by Chris Rice that says, “Carry your candle… Go light your world.” The world of special needs is our world and we want to shed some light on the topic.
Let us tell you about this large population of people the church is neglecting and help you figure a plan to reach those in the shadows of overwhelming challenges.
* Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
** 2012 report from https://www.census.gov