Just a little of our family background to set the context of this. I became a Christian at at the age of 20 and came from a non-Christian background. I moved at the age of 22 to the Bible Belt very specifically to grow in my relationship with Jesus and to learn from seasoned Christians. I was able to also attend Bible College and graduated with a Bachelors in Bible and Communications. My husband and I met at a single's Bible study at church. My husband has been around Christianity his whole life. All this to say that Jesus is a very important person in my life and His family, my family.After college, my husband moved our family out west to a state that challenges Christian marriages and families in general, let alone those with special needs family members. I never ever would have imagined not being able to attend church and fellowship with other believers in America.
As my children with autism got older, they became harder to manage at church. We experienced the same things most special needs families do. We got kicked out of church, much like the lepers were kicked out of synagogues and cities. We were told over and over again "we are not equipped", as if that would explain it away. We always came back with "let's get equipped and we'll help you." We were sent away time and again. Once we were told "we have all these people to lead to God and you're in the way".
We were living out west in a state that doesn't have a lot of Christian churches anyway, so we started having car church, where we would go for a drive, listen to praise and worship music, pray, read the Bible and listen to a sermon from our home church. We tried church after church, one advertised a special needs ministry. We came to find out it was one military couple volunteering to babysit during church and whenever they couldn't do it, we were told we couldn't come to church. The church and the couple refused to read even a 2 minute Bible story to the kids in the SUNDAY SCHOOL class. All other kids were learning about Jesus in the building and classes all around them, NOT my kids. This became unacceptable to us, we approached the church to see what we could do to help. We then were asked to leave. Other churches said we were welcomed as long as we stayed with the kids in their classrooms. Car or home church was easier on us but we lacked fellowship.
Throughout all this I kept Jesus as the center of our home and struggled (still struggling) to forgive those who dismissed us so easily as not important enough to bring into God's family. I prayed to go back to the Bible Belt and our home church because I knew they would make a way.
God answered my prayers last year. Not in the way, I hoped, as our family is now split. The kids and I are back home and our church family has bent over backwards helping us. They got equipped and now have a special needs MINISTRY and the kids are learning about Jesus from the Bible, worshiping, praying and even dancing before His throne!
As I've visited other churches with Special Needs classes, I've noticed that most are simply babysitting the kids and not actively teaching the kids about Jesus or reading them the Bible. This evangelist and Bible College grad could not accept this for my children. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes 3 villages to raise a special needs child and very purposefully doing all we can to truly give the child wings! This includes teaching about Jesus. I am so very very thankful for my home church for being our family and our villages.
The miracles in the Bible that we read are all healing of special needs people. The ones kicked out of the churches who Jesus went to personally, healed them and shared the good news with them! The church that wants to see revival and miracles is the one that ministers to special needs people because Jesus came to save the ones who are sick not the ones who are well. The Remnant is made up of churches rolling up our sleeves, literally getting dirty and deep into ministry to special needs people of all types. The highest calling is do to do the lowliest duty of preaching Jesus while changing diapers of all ages. The pastor/person that can serve a special needs person in any capacity is the one that will see the miracles and revival happen.
Bible references
Jesus in the home of a leper. Mathew 26:6
Jesus recounts those who have been healed Matthew 11:5
The command to heal those who are sick Matthew 10:8
10 Lepers healed Luke 17:10-12
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