DISABILITY MINISTRIES
Through the Roof, our disablity ministry, gets it's name from the story in the Gospels where the friends of a paralytic man think creatively to remove all the obstacles, which were keeping their friend from Jesus. They loved their friend so much that they came alongside him and supported him. Just like them, we love our friends made in God's image.
Why We Serve
Our Mission: To come alongside people with disabilities and their families to help the mission of Covenant Presbyterian Church be fulfilled in their lives.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul expresses the importance of unity in the body of Christ. All parts of the body are important to one another and when one part hurts, so does the rest of the body. Individuals with disability have been given gifts with which to bless our church body and we want to recognize those gifts and support the families of those affected by disability.
Our Vision: For families to feel welcome, worship with others, and build relationships within the church.
We understand there is a sense of being seen and feeling as you belong, even when life looks different as a family with a disability or diagnosis in the mix.
How We Serve
- We encourage and support relationships within the congregation between families affected by disability and those that come alongside them as co-laborers. We seek to ensure everyone experiences the joy of serving and being served, at their level of ability.
- As much as we are able, we work to remove barriers that hinder children, teens, or adults from understanding and relating to the Gospel, encouraging them emotionally and spiritually by being the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus.
- We assist and train volunteers in identifying strategies to reach each person we serve and promote awareness in our church family.
- We work with our teachers and discuss ways to adjust the classroom environment to explore opportunities that not only help individuals with disabilities, but others as well.
- While we may not be able to meet all of the needs, we strive to be an additional resource and support in their lives.
Support for Families: Sundays
Sunday Support / Buddies
We work individually with families to determine supports needed to help kids and teens integrate into classrooms with their peers and the worship service. This could be a combination of classroom strategies, adaptations, or 1 on 1 buddies as needed.
TTR Adult Sunday School
Adults with disabilities who need a little extra time to understand God's word are welcome to join our class in which we dig into Scripture, pray, sing, and enjoy each other's company. We meet every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays.
Parent/Caregiver Support Group
We host a support group during the Sunday School hour for parents and caregivers with a family member affected by disability. This is a time to connect and share resources. We meet on 2nd and 4th Sundays.
What We Do: Events
Respite Day
Four times per year we host an event for children and teens with disabilities which includes a Bible story, craft, music, sensory stations, lunch, and gross motor games. Each child with a disability and their siblings are paired with a volunteer to accompany them through each activity. Parents can leave their children and enjoy time to themselves for this three-hour structured event.
Game Night
Four times a year high school-aged teens and adults with disabilities and their families are welcome to connect with other families in our church for an evening of fun. We’ll have crafts, group games, plus dinner and dessert.
VBS
When we have our Vacation Bible School in July we coordinate with families and VBS staff to creatively support children of all abilities so they can participate in the event as fully as possible.
Get Involved
We would love to see relationships blossom between families affected by disability and those that are in a position to support them. One great way to meet these families is to volunteer at our events and serve on Sundays. We welcome entire families to serve together!
Volunteering can take on a variety of roles:
- Serving as a buddy to someone with a disability or their sibling
- Assisting with setup for events
- Coordinating food at our events for children and adults
- Serving as a nurse
- Leading activities like the Bible story, a craft, game, or music
- And more!
Volunteering does not require you to have any specific skills, just a willingness to learn and be creative. We do have training opportunities to feel more comfortable with different roles, especially serving 1 on 1 with a child or adult with a disability.
If you're interested in learning more for your family or want to join our email list to be alerted of opportunities to serve or be served, please contact us so we can discuss how you could share in helping families in our church.
For more information please contact Sarah Pruett or Lisa Updike.