The Power of Support

In this life we all travel through troubled waters and oftentimes seek guidance in the wisdom of others. While our paths may be different, the commonality of the trip is strong enough to form bonds in the most unlikely ways.

The Families Ministry at Dunwoody United Methodist Church (DUMC) offers support groups for caregivers of people with disabilities. These support groups serve as the anchor of hope for many as they attempt to navigate the seemingly uncharted life of a caregiver.

In 2004, Diane Morgan, director of Family Ministries at DUMC, created WINGS, When In Need of Group Support, a program that offers support to parents with children with developmental, physical, and mental disabilities.

Participants in WINGS meet monthly to discuss disability-related topics. According to Morgan, topics have ranged from nutrition to financial planning to tips for maneuvering through the school system.

One of the most popular topics offered focused on the needs of fathers of children with disabilities. The dads-only program gave fathers the opportunity to openly share their feelings regarding having a child with special needs.

“Some of [the fathers] hadn’t come to grips with the fact that they had a child with a disability. I mean I had dads crying all over the place but it was something they needed,” Morgan stated. “As a professional that deals with that all the time, I sat in that room and it was heart wrenching.”

WINGS, now entering its third year, has been extremely successful. So much so that Diane recently established a new program, FINS, Friends In Need of Support. The FINS program targets parents of children with learning disabilities, ADHD, and emotional disorders.

According to Morgan, the decision to create two separate support groups was a no-brainer. Her experience showed that although there were some general topics that appealed to both groups of parents, the majority of topics did not have crossover capability due to varying emphasis on physical versus learning disabilities.  For her, this indicated that there were two groups of parents with each having its own unique needs.

Morgan advises congregations wishing to begin their own support group to start with a strong foundation. Before formally introducing WINGS, Morgan spent several months canvassing the needs of the congregation. Once the needs had been identified, she set out to define the goals and framework for WINGS and later, FINS.

“One of the things that I have found is that if [the congregation doesn’t] own it, they don’t participate in it. So you have to develop the leadership from somebody who’s got the passion to really want to make it happen,” Morgan says.

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Inside a Circle of Friends

Caring for a person with a disability requires a full-time commitment leaving many caregivers exhausted and in need of a little “R&R.”  They often times seek solace in various government, community, and religious-based programs that offer short-term relief from the demanding job of a caregiver.

In Marietta, Ga., the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection created Circle of Friends, a respite program to help serve the needs of its community.

At first glance, Circle of Friends resembles your typical respite program. Participants enjoy various arts and craft activities while their caregivers are afforded the opportunity to spend a Sunday afternoon resting, dining out, or some other leisure activity of their choice. Ask any parent whose child is a participant in Circle of Friends and the uniqueness of this program is immediately apparent.

“[At Circle of Friends] people are accepted for whatever they can do. They are encouraged. It’s really, really a good thing. There is not many places that [my son] gets to go…where he can interact with different people [and this program] provides that for him,” says Arlene Smith, a parent whose son has participated in Circle of Friends for almost two years.

Since its inception in 2004, Circle of Friends has expanded to include approximately 35 participants and 30 volunteers. The program serves those people with low to mild disabilities including physical and emotional.

The program meets bimonthly on Sundays for three hours. Each meeting has a theme such as “A Day at the Beach.” Typically there are three concurrent activities with each activity being different, and participants rotating between each one. According to Smith, since her son first began attending Circle of Friends she has seen tremendous growth.

“[My son] is more outgoing…even when we take him to church on Sundays [he is] looking up and smiling at people and singing. I kinda feel that this is from being encouraged as much as he is. Whether he sings well, whether he signs loud or soft, whether he sings on key or not. He is accepted at Circle of Friends and so I think there is carry over,” Smith states.

Perhaps the uniqueness of the program is found in the heart of Jim and Barbara Kirk, directors of Circle of Friends, who have unselfishly given of their time to create and lead this program. Or maybe it’s the dedication of the volunteers who tirelessly assist in planning and implementing the bimonthly activities.

Whatever the case may be, Circle of Friends has found a way to serve its community in a capacity that encourages growth and promotes awareness in the lives of those with and without disabilities.

Tips for Starting a Respite Program

• Disability Awareness. Develop a launching pad that includes learning about and gaining exposure to the various types of disabilities. 
   
• Remind your congregation that disability awareness extends beyond their immediate walls and encompasses the community at large. Putting disability in a larger context will not only increase awareness but will help gain momentum for the respite program.
   
• Disability Training. Recruit a professional to come and speak with members of the congregation. A professional can do an assessment to determine whether or not your facilities and programs are “disability-friendly” as well as suggest ways to be more inclusive.
  
• Recruit Volunteers. Hold a meeting for those interested in volunteering. At the meeting discuss the objectives and goals of the respite program. Allow volunteers to decide on a name, meeting frequency, and other details. Participating in laying the groundwork of a program helps create feelings of ownership. Consider offering support volunteer opportunities for those not wanting to be intimately involved in the care of people with disabilities.
   
  According to Barbara Kirk, co-director of Circle of Friends, sub-committees such as the women’s choir are invited to provide meals for participants. This allows the program to keep a low volunteer-participant ratio while allowing those individuals who are not familiar or comfortable working with people with disabilities an opportunity to help.
   
  Also, when developing your team of volunteers, try to include a person who is trained in First Aid and/or who is certified in CPR.

To find out how IDC can help you with starting a respite program, contact Mark Crenshaw at 678.365.0073 or via e-mail at mark.crenshaw@bobbydoddorg. For more information on Circle of Friends, visit www.e-lcr.org or contact Barbara and Jim Kirk at jek1@mindspring.com.

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A Different Approach to Mission Work

For the past six years, Oakhurst Baptist Church of Decatur, Ga., has taken a nontraditional approach to supporting people with disabilities. In 2001, Janet Fluker, Chair of Christian Education, along with various members of the congregation, formed the Disability Mission Group (DMG).

Unlike other mission groups, DMG serves as the congregation’s voice and conscience surrounding issues of disability and accessibility. Their charge to promote full inclusion of people with disabilities is achieved through their advocacy work.

With approximately eight active members, DMG is able to advocate in a host of ways. For example, every member of the group participates on different committees within the church. By using their influence on these committees, group members are able to keep disability and accessibility issues in the forefront of the congregation’s mind.

“It is a little unusual to have a congregation that is as open as this congregation was when we first started [the Disability Mission Group] and even with that openness, there were a lot of things that we weren’t doing that have been important to start doing,” Fluker explains.

One of the first things that DMG did was an accessibility checklist. According to Fluker, that experience was very eye opening. She realized that all though conversations about accessibility were already taking place, not having a systematic approach to identify barriers was stifling the process to full inclusion. 

“I think that probably the most important thing for us was the support that we got from the Interfaith Disability [Connection],” Fluker explains. “There was literature that was passed on to us that I would have not ever seen otherwise and it came from other denominations that have already been part of doing some of this work and writing about it. So that was very helpful.”

After having identified their congregation’s barriers and needs, DMG received an influx of calls from the congregation regarding their concerns. Initially the group attempted to tackle it all until they realized that every battle wasn’t their fight. They decided that their role within the church’s community was to highlight the needs of the disability population.

“Whenever new [issues] come up that is part of what we speak to—any issues around disabilities. I mean simple things like using the microphone when we do prayers or having cushioned seats,” says Fluker. “We had a man who had knee surgery and he sent out an e-mail to everybody on the listserv saying how appreciative he was of all the work [DMG] had done. So [the advocacy work] has benefited the entire congregation, not just people with disabilities.”

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Reaching Out to Those With Mental Illnesses

Mental illness is as common and pervasive as the day is long. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one out of four adults in the U.S. lives with a diagnosable mental disorder.

Although mental illness is commonplace, the stigma associated with such an illness causes many to remain silent and others to be overlooked. At The Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter (Holy Comforter), a mission parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, these individuals are finding their voice.

More than 20 years ago, the presiding priest of Holy Comforter noticed that the surrounding community was filled with personal care facilities. He opened his heart and the walls of the parish for a community he felt was being grossly overlooked.

“[The priest saw] a lot of people who were being ignored and marginalized and not served by the churches and…started addressing it,” says Father Mike Tanner, vicar of Holy Comforter.

At the outset, the parish simply began actively reaching out to the personal care facilities and others in the community. Overtime, the parish grew and to date is composed of 70-80 percent of parishioners with mental illness.

In 1997, after realizing that Medicaid and welfare reforms were causing many of its parishioners to lose access to day treatment centers, Holy Comforter opened the doors of a new facility—Friendship Center.  Friendship Center offers parishioners a warm and inviting place where they can fellowship and participate in various programs such as woodworking, arts and crafts, and gardening.
 
The woodshop at the Friendship Center teaches participants basic hand woodworking skills such as woodturning. Participants make bowls, candlesticks, plates, and other household items. The arts program includes a ceramic, painting, and weaving studio. Artists are able to sell their work at fairs organized by the parish. The gardens of the Holy Comforter offer another unique outlet for parishioners.

Between 6 and 12 participants work with paid staff members to maintain and care for the organic vegetable and herb gardens and greenhouse. Participants are required to work a certain amount of hours and receive a stipend for their time. They sell their crops and plants to the community year round.

“The [programs] provide [participants] a regularity in their life of discipline, the satisfaction of doing something creative, and seeing what they can do in spite of their illness which sometimes makes you think you can’t do anything,” states Father Tanner.

He challenges congregations and individuals to rethink their preconceived notions of people with mental disorders. According to Father Tanner, if faith leaders assessed their congregations, he’s pretty sure they will find at least 10 percent of its members with some form of mental illness.

“We are not a recovery program as such, basically what we are is a church that is trying to provide…an environment in which the mentally ill, poor people, and other marginalized folks can be part of the community and not merely objects of the church’s gifts but actually part of the church,” Father Tanner explains.

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God Has Faith in Me

I believe that God has faith in me.  I believe God is with me all the time.  I believe God has wisdom and love in me all the time.

Phillip Modesitt, a rising high school junior, stands before the governing body of his church professing his love for God and his desire to be a member of the congregation.   Like many before him, Phillip began the confirmation process at Trinity Presbyterian Church with hope and determination.  As he stands, reading his eloquently written faith statement, his mother, Judith Modesitt is in awe and admiration for her son who didn’t begin speaking until he was five years old.

“To know Phillip is to experience Phillip,” Judith, says in jest.  She remembers when her son first approached her about joining Trinity’s confirmation class.  “I was kind of discouraging him, actually, because it was not just like you go up there and say, ‘I’m going to join the church,’” Judith explains. 

At Trinity, the confirmation process includes a series of classes and activities focused on teaching the principles of Christianity and the Presbyterian faith.  It is open to students starting in the ninth grade and generally, is a nine-month process. 

Going through the confirmation process can be an arduous, time-consuming ordeal for any teen but especially for one with a disability.  Although reluctant, Judith finally agreed to allow Phillip to participate in the confirmation process and what followed was a lesson on courage, strength, and understanding.

In his statement, Phillip talks about the role his faith and the church has played in his life.  His faith statement demonstrates not only a clear understanding of Christianity but also, a sensitivity to helping others and being part of a bigger family.

“Trinity Presbyterian Church means a lot to me.  It means I am a member of the community in what we call Trinity Church….  Being part of [our] community in Trinity Church is also like being a member of God’s family.  Being part of our community in Trinity Church means I help other people and other people help me,” Phillip writes.

For John Ryan, youth director at Trinity, not including Phillip in the confirmation class was never an option.  Although the presence of a child with a disability in a religious class may require some innovate lesson plans, John’s position is that “all are welcomed, no mater what life’s circumstances deal you.”

After having several open, honest conversations with Judith, ordering a few books, and talking with other youth directors, John challenged himself to always find a way to include Phillip and be a role model for others.  His inclusiveness has transitioned to the other youth in Phillip’s class.

“[Phillip has] made me rethink how I do things educationally and programmatically but what I most enjoyed seeing is young people, who are often self-centered and cliquish and not very nice at times, rise above the occasion and include Phillip,” John states.

Judith is extremely appreciative of John Ryan and the Trinity church family. She views her son’s participation in the church and in particular, the confirmation process as an affirmation of Phillip’s strength of character and resolve. For Judith the confirmation process helped her realize God’s blessings and how he sometimes uses others to be a vessel for his love.

“It’s just a tremendously joyful thing for everyone that when you embrace differences and you have inclusion…whether it’s disabilities, whether it’s color, whatever it is, IQ levels, I don’t care…when you have everybody coming together, you are really manifesting God’s love for all of us,” Judith says.

Click here to read Phillip's faith statement in its entirety

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True Divine Design

Late 1900s American ecclesial architect Ralph Adams Cram believed that the elevation of a place of worship was instrumental to the practice of that faith. These spaces should be set apart from the everyday pedestrian world with towering walls, marble stairs, and dense wooden doors.  Many of these structures, which were built centuries before that advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act, have long been inaccessible because of “Divine Design.”

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta (UUCA) has worked tirelessly to make their building’s design divine for all. Through the work of their Accessibility Taskforce, structural barriers have become a thing of the past.

Pat Kahn, Director of Religious Education at the UUCA, believes in extending “radical hospitality” to all. After her arrival at the church she met a young parishioner, AJ Peterson Martin, who came to Sunday school class in his wheelchair. Her introduction to the young man caused her to search for possibilities for inclusion from other congregations and faiths.

Her need for assistance with the congregation’s extensive building renovations led her to BDI’s Interfaith Disability Connection. There she learned tools that would allow her to create an accessible building and inclusive congregation. Pat creatively presented IDC’s tips for reviewing a building’s accessibility to students in UUCA youth education classes. Students took turns using a wheelchair for mobility to learn the barriers one would face visiting the church for Sunday services and other activities. Through this simple exercise a list was compiled of suggested changes that needed to be made.  Two suggestions, the need for accessible water fountains and a playground, were among the first to be implemented.

The principle of affirming the worth and dignity of every person is steadfast in the Unitarian Universalist faith. The church’s Special Friends program pairs a child with a disability with a young member of the congregation who does not have a disability. Kahn combines her IDC tools with knowledge she gained at the church’s “Involve” workshops. This curriculum educates congregation leaders on the art of creativity in ministry to children with disabilities in their faith community. Created by Sally Patton, author of Welcoming Children with Special Needs, A Guidebook for Faith Communities, the training has allowed all who want to take part in services to be able to do so.

It is evident that the inclusion strategies Kahn has implemented at UUCA serve as a model of faith-based inclusion. Kahn’s creative methods of getting young and old parishioners, involved in the process prove how inclusive education can change the viewpoint of an entire congregation. A remembrance of Kahn’s first teacher of inclusion can be found as one of the congregation’s examples of truly divine design, an accessible playground. An Eagle Scout project, the playground was funded by donations and built with the hard work of volunteers. The inscription on the dedication plaque reads, “In memory of AJ Peterson Martin, beloved teacher and friend.”

Click this link to read a complete summary of results from children of UUCA’s accessibility exercise.

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