I can't believe you said that

Brandon is in the midst of a preaching series that he spoke while at Joni and Friends Family Camp.  Today was 2 of 3 and the one where we address bringing in those who have been invisible.  I highly recommend listening to it and not just because Brandon is my husband.  I'll try to include a link to the sermon once its up on our church's website.  I will warn you now that what I am about to write is going to be written from a very raw, angry, and frustrated place.  If you wish to not continue reading I respect that.  If you do continue reading read at your own risk.  You may not like what I say and to be honest I may not like what I say tomorrow and if I don't I will apologize for it, but this is what I have to say today.  Consider yourself warned.

Our church does not have a disability ministry.  Therefore for the last several years Zachary and I have had to stay home on Sunday mornings from church and Sunday school.  We have just basically dealt with this and figured it was something that had to be endured for the sake of ministry.  There were Sunday's where I would sneak off to other churches that had programs for children with disabilities but we always ran the risk of offending people in our congregation by my doing this.  One time we got "caught" when I went to hear Chuck Colson's daughter speak about her son Max at Willow Creek and there was some displeasure expressed that I was going to another church.  So, Zach and I say home.

I'm tired of staying home.  I'd like to be at church. I miss worship.  I miss seeing people.  I miss hearing my husband's sermons in their entirety as opposed to the snippets that get run by me throughout the week.  Or watching them on the internet.  I've stood by and tried to gently show that we don't quite fit in.  We tried to come for Easter but Zach trying to play the instruments didn't go so well so we only lasted 5 minutes.

It's not only us and that is what Brandon and Ali are trying to show with their preaching these last few weeks.  There are so many families out there that are isolated on Sunday mornings or splitting up with half the family going to church and the other half staying home simply because they are complicated, or different, or hard,     or, or, or.

Today after the service someone, who will remain nameless, came up to Brandon and expressed their understanding.  The told Brandon that we should bring Zach to church, we should just sit towards the back.  When Brandon explained that we could do that but that Zach will still find a way to disrupt the service their response was to tell us they could completely understand what we were going through.  They had a brother who had a disability and their mother had to stay home with their brother on Sundays until he died in his 20s and then she could come to Church.  So they understood.




I want to make something very clear.  I will not stay home with Zachary until he dies and then come to church and I will not accept that as the response of the church as a whole.  There are individual churches who have stepped up and taken responsibility but that is not good enough.  It's like saying, this church will take this type of person and that church will take that type of person.

What is YOUR church doing?  What are YOU doing?  If you are not sure what to do or have no idea where to start the first thing you can do, especially in the Chicagoland and Northern Indiana area is call Joni and Friends Chicago.  They have people who will help you start a disability ministry in your church, right where you are!  Let's stop this now.