Every Sunday, in churches all across the USA, families with autistic
children are pushed to the side and made to feel unwelcome because most
churches just aren’t ready to deal with these children. There are countless families who would love
to spend time worshiping God with other followers of Christ, but they feel
they have no place to go. Let’s face it, when it comes to kids in church, we're all guilty of a little intolerance.
And we've all probably been on the receiving end of a few glances and glares
when our own children act up during the sermon. Many times it has hurt my faith
to witness those looks of agitation and disapproval from other members of the
church. It can make a lasting impression, one that has sent us scurrying out
the door for good. Physical handicaps and church inaccessibility may be one
reason for nonattendance but for families with special-needs kids, the main
reason is quite simple? They don't
feel welcome.
However, after accepting and
invitation to a FFLM morning service I was overwhelmed with Christian love from
the congregation. No one even cared about my
autistic child who just rocks back and forth in the pew or the one that dances
during the worship time as he’s made to stand up like everyone else. A warm smile surface from the lips of a church
member sensing my distress saying, “Don’t worry you are Welcome Here.” The tiny hand reached over and gave me a
reassuring pat on my shoulder to put action into the words that were spoken a
few seconds earlier. I knew at that moment that we were indeed welcome here at
FFLM. My children are assured each week in the faith based activities that this
ministry believes that every child should belong to a family of faith and that
all children are children of God.
As a mother raising multiple
children with autism, I discovered there’s a profound lack of understanding and
support from the Christian community as a whole. Many of you take worship time
for granted and is seen almost in a selfish manner by so many of us. We like to
sit in certain spots. We like to hear certain songs. We get very irritated if
something throws off our experience, like a child who doesn’t act like the
perfect angel. Instead of taking that moment to show the grace of God that
we’re claiming to seek ourselves in the worship service, we allow bothersome
emotions to be our guide. I’m grateful for the outpouring support from
the women as I embrace motherhood and all its challenges. FFLM is concerned for the way everyone can
demonstrate God's commitment to parents with children with special needs. It feels wonderful to show up to talk about
my frustrations, my hopes for my sons and our challenges as a parent of
special-needs children, especially as those things pertained to the church and our
faith.
Trust me, I know there are many of
you out there who are disabled, dispirited, burned out or hurt by churches. You
love the Lord with all your heart, but somehow, someway, you haven’t found a
church yet. Please join me as a visitor and feel free to bring a friend. I
promise you will feel welcome.
