May is STARS Ministry Worker Appreciation month.  So this blog is for all the people, young and old who are serving in our STARS ministry.    I am going to write this to them, but you can listen in! 

“We are so grateful for you and we thank God for each you.   You are making a difference in the lives of families who are impacted by disability.   And it is not only me who is thanking God for you.  

Here is what one parent says, “The STARS ministry at College Church encourages, strengthens, and equips STARS and their families to persevere with hopein a profound, meaningful and redemptive way.  We will always be thankful for the personal practical, and encouraging ministry our son and each member of our family have received as part of the STARS ministry.   Being in the STARS ministry feels like a “Little Patch of Heaven” along our journey of faith and disability.   One of the unique “fragrances/fruit” of this special ministry is JOY!  The volunteers, staff, and ministry team EXUDE  Joy and Hope in their work and ministry, even when it is hard and challenging.  This encourages me to “stay the course” spiritually and to dig my roots deeper in the Lord when things get tough.  

You have made a difference in the lives of our STARS.   You have believed that they are worthy to be taught about Jesus and they are becoming disciples of Christ.  And because of your service, our STARS are ministering to our congregation in amazing ways.   Following our recent Disability Ministry Sunday, one of our College Church missionaries to China said,

“Last Sunday’s service truly ministered to me.  Pastor, your message was just what the Great Physician ordered.  Your prayer that focused on the sovereignty of God was not missed either. 

The ministry of the STARS program was equally powerful.   These disabled adults face much greater obstacles than I do.  Yet they trust their Heavenly Father joyfully and wholeheartedly.   I pray that God will give me more of that simple, wholehearted faith.    Thank you to College Church and the STARS program.   Not only were the STARS given visibility and appreciation, they were allowed to minister.   They brought me to worship.  They exhorted and instructed me.  I am certain that I was not alone in that.  

Thank you for serving in STARS.  You are making an incredible difference in the lives of our STARS families and in our congregation.  You have lived out what the STARS name means–Seeking to Always Reflect the Savior.   Your service may even have a global impact. ” 

Doesn’t that make you want to serve in STARS next year?   How about tapping the shoulder of one of your friends and saying, “Join me in STARS?  Let’s bring hope and joy to families with special needs! “   If you do, you will be part of Christ’s kingdom coming on earth.   

To join the STARS team, contact Dawn Clark at dclark@college-church.org or 630-668-0878, ext. 265

What a great day!   Disability Ministry Sunday, April 28, was a wonderful day with our STARS leading the congregation in worship.  I don’t know if I ever heard them play the chimes more beautifully.    One of the highlights was having Stephanie Hubach come and share her testimony with our congregation.  Stephanie is my dear friend and partner in ministry and has spoken several times to our STARS parent support group.    She is the Director of Special Needs to the Mission of North America of the Presbyterian Church of America.  www.stephaniehubach.com  and www.pcamna.org/specialneeds    In case you missed, Stephanie has given us permission to print it here.    This also appeared in the blog, Not Alone, which Stephanie contributes to regularly.   www.not-alone.org

                                                                           I love Chinese Food. Truly I do. White rice or fried rice, hot and sour soup or egg drop, General Tso’s chicken or beef with broccoli—it all works for me! But my favorite part of the meal is (by far) at the very end. The fortune cookie. Oh, I know, lots of people think they taste like cardboard and just throw them out. But I can’t wait to open one and see what it says inside. Sometimes the sayings are funny not-quite-right translations of a famous phrase, or glib statements such as “Be Happy!” Other times, however, they can actually be pretty insightful. In fact, so insightful, that I’ve saved a little stash of them in my desk drawer.

            Here’s one that caught my attention yesterday: “Fear is interest paid on a debt you may not owe.” I would probably tweak that to say “Worry is interest paid on a debt you may not owe.” Do you ever worry? In particular, do you worry about your child and what the future holds for him or her? I have. And you know what? I can confirm for you, 21 years into this, that “worry is interest paid on a debt you may not owe.”

            When my son, Tim, was born with Down syndrome, I worried about many things about his life. Some of them were likely the same things you’re worrying about today. Such as:

• Will he ever talk? And if he does, will people ever take the time to understand him?
• Will he have any friends?
• Will people make fun of him?
• Will he ever find meaningful work?
• Will anyone besides our family and close friends love him?

 Much of what I worried about, and even many of the things I grieved in advance have not turned out as I expected. They’ve actually turned out much, much better. Yes, Tim does talk. (When he was younger, he sometimes talked so constantly that I second-guessed the wisdom of speech therapy!) And no, people do not always take time to understand him. But most try. He has friends, a few close ones, and a myriad of friendly acquaintances. Have people made fun of him? Occasionally, and who knows how many times when I did not see or did not hear. And I’m thankful that I am not omniscient, for that very reason. We’re at that “transition age” where we’re looking for employment, and while he has many skills, it is still a challenge to get people to see past his appearance and give him a chance at a meaningful job. Is he loved? Oh yes, he is deeply loved by his family and our close friends, and many others too.

            “Ah,” you may ask, “but I thought you said it all turned out much, much better than you expected? This just sounds ‘sorta-kinda-okay’ to me.” Why yes, it did turn out much, much better. And here’s why. Not because he talks, and others listen. Not because he has some friends, and most people are nice to him. Not because he’s developed some job skills, and he has loving family and close friends. Nope. Not for those reasons. Although those reasons are all a LOT for which to be thankful! It all turned out much, much better because God had a much, much better plan than what I could ever have imagined. Let’s review the questions again:

• Will he ever talk? Tim’s life is a never-ending word picture of God’s kindness and grace. He testifies to God’s goodness with both his words and his outlook on life. If Tim, with all his challenges, can do that—what does that communicate to the rest of us?
•  Will anyone ever take the time to understand him? People study Tim’s life all the time. Because he looks different, they notice him. And when they do, they instantly notice his joy and his freedom—and implicitly understand that he has something that they want. 
• Will people make fun of him? Tim is one of the funniest people I have ever met. He has dry wit. He can imitate almost anyone. He has a belly laugh that will make you laugh until you start crying. He can imitate Elvis Presley “to a tee,” in voice and dance. People are generally having way too much fun laughing with him to even have time to think about laughing at him.  
• Will he have any friends? Tim knows how to be a friend like few others do. He is kind, devoted, compassionate, concerned, prayerful and encouraging.  
• Will he ever find meaningful work? Tim brings meaning into everything he does. His life’s work—whether it is at the doctor’s office where he is employed, or at the elementary school where he volunteers—is to impart God’s definition of a meaningful life to others. Tim has a love for God and love for neighbor that is absolutely contagious. If I recall correctly, that’s the greatest thing that Jesus asked for in Mark 12:30 (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”) 
• Will anyone besides our family and close friends ever love him? Tim knows how to love unconditionally. He gives his heart away with abandon. He usually forgives with relative ease. He is often insightful and caring about the shortcomings of others. He is sensitive to those who are hurting.

 Really. What more could I ask for? Not only was my worry “an interest on a debt that I did not owe,” there was actually an amazing gift I did not realize I was going to receive. A son with:  a voice, a message, unstoppable humor, the gift of true friendship, a deeply meaningful life on God’s terms, and the ability to love well—what a gift! So, today, when you’re tempted to worry, look to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:31-33:

            So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The next time you open a fortune cookie and it says, “Don’t worry.  Be Happy, “   think of Stephanie’s words and say to your self, “Don’t worry.   Trust God.”

“Will you tie my shoes?”   That is how I met Daniel James Sutherland, as he likes to introduce himself.   Somewhere along the line, Daniel had figured out that good people are those who are willing to tie his shoes.  If you tie his shoes, then you are willing to be his friend and he can trust you.   

And Daniel IS my friend.  Daniel also has autism.  Autism is often referred to as a spectrum disorder because there is a wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment.  I like it that this definition includes skills as well as levels of impairments because Daniel has lots of skills.   Since April is Autism Awareness month, let me tell you a little bit about my friend Daniel.   He is an incredibly gifted musician.   One Sunday morning, he played 26 hymns in a row on the piano without stopping.   He has a beautiful voice and does an incredible imitation of George Beverly Shea.  He has sung solos in church and been the narrator in our Christmas program. 

Daniel also has an incredible memory and has memorized hundreds of Bible verses.   I will never forget when Daniel had his membership interview with the elders.  The elder asked, “Daniel, what is your favorite Bible verse.”  Daniel replied, “In Genesis it is Genesis 3:15.”  And he said the verse.  He started to give a favorite verse from each book in the Bible.   In the interest of time, the elder interrupted and said, “Daniel, you know your Bible and I think you have memorized more Bible verses than I have.”   We all smiled and thanked God for the gifts and skills that he has given Daniel.   He has one of the most beautiful and structured minds I have ever known.   

As Daniel and I became better friends, Daniel started to ask, “May I tie your shoes?”   It was as if he were saying, “I am willing to let you help me, but are you a real friend?  Are you willing to let me help you?”    As the Director of Disability Ministries, it is easy for me to be in the “caring role.”  I am comfortable with that role.  I even enjoy being friends with people with disabilities.   But was I willing to let them SERVE me? 

Daniel Vander Plaats of Elim Christian Services would say I was stuck in the third and fourth stages in the journey of disability attitudes.  He reminds us that just like autism, there is a wide spectrum of attitudes that we can have toward people with disabilities.  We are on a journey.  We need to be patient with each other as God works in our hearts and lives to change our attitudes. 

Vander Plaats has come up with a helpful grid that outlines the typical attitudes that people have toward people with disabilities. His full explanation of these stages can be found at :  http://vimeo.com/54034752 

• Stage 1:  Ignorance–People have disabilities because they lack faith or are being punished for sin.
• Stage 2: Pity–People who have disabilities are needy people and it is good to feel sorry for them.  
• Stage 3: Caring–People with disabilities are made in the image of God and have value.   We should care for them. 
• Stage 4: Friendship–In the body of Christ, we all benefit as we grow in friendship with each other.
• Stage 5: Co-laborers–God has gifted each one of us.   We are called to serve and be served.   Each member belongs to all the others. 

Where are you on the Disability Attitude Spectrum?  As part of Autism Awareness month, will you ask God to help you move along in your attitudes toward people with disabilities? 

Are you willing to let Daniel tie your shoes?

I was surprised by the call of Eric Lowe,  Wheaton College student and chairman of the Justice Coalition.  “We are  putting on our first 5K run and have chosen to sponsor Camp Hope this year.  Do you have any suggestions? Would you be willing to help promote this?” 

Camp Hope.   I smiled at the connection.   I first learned of Camp Hope in the fall of 2011 when I received an email from  Hayley Younkin, former student coordinator of the Hangin’ with a STAR program.     Hayley was spending a semester at Camp Hope in Ecuador and she was passionate about what they were doing.  Their director was coming to the US with Hayley.  Could I help connect her?  I wasn’t sure what I could do, but I made a few calls.   The more I learned, the more I realized how STARS and Camp Hope were connected.   

Hayley and Camp Hope Director, Maricela Miranda, with STARS Cheryl, Kim and Ashley

STAR Ashley Seagren had become good friends with Hayley through Hangin’ with a STAR.  She was keeping in touch with Hayley through email while she was at Camp Hope.  Ashley and her mom, Trish, were happy to help sponsor a  dessert gathering.  We invited  the STARS families and volunteers to come and hear from the Camp Hope director.  The STARS loved seeing Hayley again and meeting her new friend, Maricela.  We were touched by the work that Camp Hope was doing.   We connected their director to Elim Christian Services and to Joni and Friends.   The STARS ministry sent Camp Hope the Spanish version of the Friendship Curriculum that our adult and teen STARS classes have used on Sunday morning.  That was over a year ago. Now the connection was made again. 

Camp Hope was selected as the beneficiary of the Wheaton College Jusice Coalition’s first 5k because of its “unique and praiseworthy approach to caring for people with disabilities.”  http://www.camphopeecuador.org/   In the application, Hayley wrote, “ As many theologians have argued and as Camp Hope represents in the practical sense, wholeness is not the product of self-sufficiency or independence, but rather of the genuinely inclusive communion that results from sharing our humanity with one another in light of the grace of God.”    Isn’t that a great way to describe the body of Christ?  Each one giving and each one receiving according to the grace given by God. 

Americans by heritage are an independent lot.  I know.  My grandfather immigrated from Holland,  making my father a first generation American.  I grew up in a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” type of family.   My father was fiercely independent, hardworking and entrepreneurial.  There was nothing you couldn’t do if you worked hard enough.  Needing someone was considered a weakness. 

Americans value ability and that “can do” spirit.   Yet that same American spirit can often make people with disabilities feel like second class citizens.   Just look at the word.   DIS-ability.   Without ability.   How would you like to be described as someone without ability?   Doesn’t the Bible say, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” Ephesians 4:4-7.   Grace isn’t given to us according to our ability but according to how Christ’s gives.  In Christ, all of us have been given gifts to be used to help each other.   We all have a function and a purpose in the body of Christ.   All parts are needed to make His body whole. 

Registration for the 5K to benefit Camp Hope begins at 8:30 AM inEdman Plaza on the Wheaton College Campus.  If you have any questions contact Nicole Rienstra in the Wheaton College Student Activities Office at (630) 752-5640.    http://www.wheaton.edu/Student-Life/Activities/Justice-Coalition/JustCo-5K

So this Saturday, April 20, run or walk to help Camp Hope.  It’s just 10 bucks. You’ll meet some great students who are calling the church to be interdependent instead of independent. Students who are calling the church to value the worth and contribution of each of its members based on God’s grace rather than ability.

Nella, Paul and myself at a Friendship Class

“Mutuality.  That is what sets the Friendship curriculum apart from other special needs curriculums,” said my good friend Nella Uitvlugt.  “We learn from each other.”  Nella was the executive director of Friendship Ministries and my friend.  Last fall during my sabbatical, I visited Nella in her Grand Rapids home and we spent hours talking about disability issues as they relate to the church.  I visited a Friendship Club, and heard her speak to future pastors at Calvin Seminary. 

Friendship Ministries produces the Friendship curriculum which we use in some of our STARS Bible classes.  Our own Carol Casey has written some lessons for this curriculum. During my visit I asked her how she ran her Friendship classes and brought up the subject of check-in procedures particularly for our adult STARS classes.  

“These are adults.  They are my friends.  Why would I treat them any differently than my friends who don’t have disabilities?  Do people without disabilities in your Adult Bible communities “check-in?”  I smiled.  Nella never did pull any punches.  For Nella there was no struggle here.  Her focus was not on liability and putting systems in place so she didn’t lose anyone.  They were her friends and friends stick together and look out for each other.  Now don’t get me wrong.  Nella was not lax on safety, but her posture wasn’t one of power or care-giving. No medical model here.  Being trained in a medical model, I was deeply convicted by what she said. 

She had a posture of grace and friendship.  She saw people with disabilities as the image bearer of God and not a diagnosis. Most of the time she didn’t even know what their diagnosis was.  It wasn’t important.   “Our job is to minister and help, not to diagnose,” she retorted.  Her friends with disabilities participated in the Bible lesson, prayer and worship.  She believed that worship was a conversation with God and everyone should be invited to be part of the conversation without distinction.  She created beautiful visuals, banners and objects to aid her friends in their worship, so it didn’t matter whether they were verbal or not.   They could still praise God. 

Recently she had been exploring the depths of inclusive worship and was speaking on the topic in many different venues. We were to be keynote speakers together at a Joni and Friends workshop this month in Naperville.  I was looking forward to spending time with her again.  I say was.  My friend Nella died unexpectedly on March 21.  I cried.  The Christian disability community lost an important voice.  But I can only imagine how much Nella is enjoying inclusive worship in heaven.

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

Jesus loves me this I know  for the Bible tells me so. 

Little ones to him belong.  They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus Loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.

The Bible tells me so. 

The day before Dennis Helledy died, I visited him in the hospital and sang Jesus loves me to him.  And although Dennis didn’t open his eyes, he turned his head toward me as I sang.  I had sung a couple of songs to him, but it was this song that he responded to. I sang, “Yes, Jesus loves Dennis.   Yes, Jesus loves Dennis.  Yes, Jesus loves Dennis.  The Bible tells me so.” 

Dennis was our oldest STAR at 69 years of age and on March 7, 2013, he went home to be with Jesus.  I was asked to speak at Dennis’ funeral, which wasn’t called a funeral.  Instead it was called,  “A service to the Witness of the Resurrection.  In memory of Dennis Helledy.”  How beautifully fitting.  Our STARS, directed by Kristin Knosp, led the congregation in singing one of Dennis’ favorite songs, How Great Thou Art.  Then they sang and signed, God is on the Throne.   Right before I shared my thoughts that evening with Dennis’ family and friends, we sang,  Jesus Loves Me.  Here is what I said. 

“Jesus loves Dennis and he knew this. How did Dennis know this?  Because life had always been easy?  Because he had always received what he wanted in life?  Hardly, although from all that we have heard this evening, we know that Denny had a wonderful family. A family that showed God’s love to Him.   I have been particularly blessed to know his sister Joyce and brother-in-law Bruce, who are great supporters of our STARS ministry.

Dennis knew that Jesus loved him because the Bible told him so.  The Bible told Dennis that he was made in the image of God. That he had value and worth, not because of what he did or how he looked or how well he did or didn’t do in school, but he had worth because he was made in the image of His Creator.  That’s what made him special and that is what makes you and me special.

The Bible told Dennis that God made him the way he was so that the works of God might be displayed in his life.  In John 9, when Jesus disciples asked why the man was born blind.  They were convinced that it was because of the sin of the man or at the very least the sin of his parents.  But Jesus replied, “Neither. This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in his life.” There were many times I saw the works of God displayed in Dennis’ life. One of my favorite memories of Dennis is how he loved to pray.  He was particularly found of giving the benediction at the close of the STARS Christmas program.  I can still see him holding up his hand as he prayed the blessing.  I was often touched by his prayers and concern for others.  When his brother-in-law Bruce was sick, it was Dennis who would call me and say, “Dawn, you got to pray for Bruce.  You got to go see him. He hurts real bad.”    God also used Dennis to bring us volunteers for the STARS ministry.  Lacey was visiting our Praise in Action program one night and heard Dennis pray.   She promptly went home and told her husband, “We need to get involved in STARS.”  And they did. And they are still serving with us. Lacey was one of Dennis’ teachers at the Sunday morning Bible class. 

 The Bible also told Dennis that the parts of the body of Christ that seem to be weaker are in fact indispensable.  Dennis was indispensable.  God had a place for him and Dennis loved being part of the church.  He became a member of College Church and frequently told me, ” I love my church.”  He so enjoyed riding the STARS bus and would frequently call to make sure that the bus drivers didn’t forget him. After being absent from church for a time because of illness, he would tell one of our bus drivers,  “I’m ready to come back to Sunday School, Tom.  I love Sunday School.”  One night when we were practicing the music for disability ministry Sunday, Dennis asked if he could pray.  He was so excited to help lead the church in worship.  He prayed, “Lord, help us as we prepare for our special Sunday.  Help us to do our best.  This is the first time I’ve ever been in such a program.  Isn’t that something!”  And yes, it was something.  Dennis really was indispensable.  He was God’s workmanship and created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God had prepared in advance for him to do.

The Bible told Dennis that even when he was weak he didn’t have to worry because Jesus was strong.  Like many of us, Dennis was prone to worry.  He was afraid of dying.   Yet those worries and fears didn’t prevent God from loving him and helping him.  The New Living Translation of Romans 8 puts it this way:  “neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”   I am so grateful to God that Dennis passed away peacefully in his sleep.  As the STARS sang earlier in the service, “God is on the throne, no need to worry.”

And the Bible told Dennis that Jesus died to take away our sins and that whoever believes in him will not die but have everlasting life.  Dennis believed that.  Dennis sinned and needed forgiveness.  Just like you and me.  Because Jesus is his Savior, the gates of heaven are opened wide for him.  We grieve.  Dennis will be missed.  But we do not grieve like people who have no hope.  Dennis isn’t dead, he has been transformed.  He left some baggage behind–a body that no longer worked very well.  And now he is alive in heaven in a body that is like Jesus’ body.  And all who believe in Jesus as their Savior have the same hope and will experience the same wonderful life that Dennis is experiencing right now.

I Corinthians 15:54-57 puts it this way:  “Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

‘Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?’

For sin is the sting that results in death…But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

And as Denny would say, “Isn’t that something!”

What brings you joy?  Family?  Friends?  Sports or a hobby?    Jordan Varberg finds joy in an unlikely place.   He is a Wheaton College student and an inclusion buddy on Sunday mornings to STAR Emilie, who has autism.  Here’s what brings him joy: 

STARS has been a huge blessing to me, and I count it purely the grace of God that the program has benefited, even if in a meager amount, by my service to Emilie. As I told you, I find it difficult to even call helping Emilie “service,” because the work I do with her quite simply gives me joy and hope. Perhaps this stems from an inadequate understanding of what “service” means….all I know is that Emilie and the other children serve me equally as much as I serve them. I’ve said to many people that “I learn more about God from Emilie and the other children than I do in my Wheaton theology classes,” and I stand by that statement. There’s something about the simplicity of children’s faith in Christ that challenges me (a deep thinking philosophy major interested in graduate theological study) to keep it simple every day—Jesus died and rose to save me, so that I might find my hope and joy in Him. So, for every ounce of service I’ve poured into STARS, I’ve received back tenfold pay in the form of gospel encouragement, joy, and challenge.  

I was amazed by this young man’s comments.   Who would have thought that a young male college student would find joy in serving children with special needs?    

But joy is often found when we are least looking for it.  Our senior pastor, Josh Moody, has a new book coming out on April 3o entitled,  Journey to Joy, The Psalms of Ascent.   In this book,  Josh reminds us that these Psalms were designed to make us happy pilgrims through the test of life without faking it and without failing it. 

Have you found real joy or are you faking it?

I am not a natural blogger.  Blogging is just not the way I naturally express my thoughts, feelings and emotions.   Words tend to trip me up.  It takes me a long tine to come up with what I want to say and I never truly like how it turns out.  Perhaps it is because  I am a tactile, kinesthetic learner.  I can’t talk without my hands.  It is inflection, actions and facial expression that give life to MY words.  Somehow I just can’t make the words on the paper come to life.    They just seem to lie on the page like a puppet without a puppeteer.    So how do I like to express my thoughts and feelings?  Dance and music.  Is it any wonder that I often feel such kinship with my friends with Down Syndrome like my good buddy, Tim? 

Yet, I sit in awe of people who dance with words.  I give them standing ovations in my heart as I read their thoughts.   My favorite disability blogs are like different genres of music.   Some sing the blues and share their sorrows.  Others are always upbeat like praise music.   Some are like a march that makes you want to get up and follow the band.  Another challenges me to change the world like Bon Jovi. A few remind me of  a country singer’s ballad.  And ocassionally, they point me to God like Handel’s Messiah.   Here are a few of my favorite blogspots: 

 1.  http://not-alone.org/  This is a blog that has been put together by Mikes Woods and is collaborative effort by a selection of parents who have children with special needs.   Their tag line is:  “where special needs parents find community.”  My friend, Stephanie Hubach, is one of the parent-writers.  It is a finalist in the About.com Reader’s Choice Award in the “Favorite Special Needs Parenting Blog.”  

2.  http://disabledchristianity.blogspot.com/   Jeff McNair has been writing a blog long before blogs were in vogue.  Jeff discusses disability and disability ministry as it relates to Christianity and theology.   He is a special education professor and he and his wife Kathy have been ministering to people with intellectual disabilities for over 35 years.   Jeff always makes me think and is never afraid to address tough and controversial issues, particularly as they pertain to the church.    A collection of his blogs can be found in the book, The Church and Disability. 

3.  http://theinclusivechurch.wordpress.com/  Amy Lee Fenton desires to help churches include children with special needs.  I met Amy a few years ago at the Accessibility Summit in McLean, Va.   Her enthusiasm is infectious.   Her blog shares stories and teaching tips.   I have received inspiration and many creative ideas from her site.  

4.  http://www.gillianmarchenko.com/  Gillian is a mom who has a child with Down Syndrome.   She writes about “stumbing faith, Down Syndrome, adoption, grace, the occasional spoonful of peanut butter and sometimes the whole jar.”   Karen Roberts from Joni and Friends introduced me Gillian’s blog and  I appreciate her honesty. 

5.  http://kellira.weebly.com/kellis-blog.html  Kelli lives in the Western suburbs and I got to know her through an article she was writing for Leadership Journal on Disability Ministry.    The tag-line on Kelli’s blog is “ Divine GPS–Hope in the messiness of life, autism and mid-life crisis.”   She has also written Divine Duct Tape:  A Devotional Journey in Luke–finding ah-ha moments in an uh-oh life.   

These bloggers dance with their words and invite us to join in the dance.   By reading their joys, sorrows, and contemplations, I find words I didn’t know I had.   Won’t you join in the dance?

We had our first Run for the STARS 5k race committee meeting on Monday.   Hard to believe that this year will be the 10^th anniversary of The Run, as we like to call it.   Did you ever wonder why a church holds a 5k race? 

Well, at College Church we believe that everyone is made in the image of God.   That is what gives us value and worth.  Our worth does not come from our performance.  We are not worth more because of what we do or less because of what we can’t do.   That belief causes us to welcome those with disabilities, people who society often marginalizes.  The STARS Disability Ministry is specifically designed to help the families of individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Yet, we do more than welcome them.

 I John 3:17 says,   “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”  We desire to demonstrate our love for people with disabilities and belief that they are made in the image of God in a tangible way.  Paul Miller in Love Walked Among Us, says:  “If we help someone but don’t take the time to look at the person and feel what he or she is feeling, our love is cold.  And if we look and feel, but don’t do what we can to help, our love is cheap.”   Jesus’ love does both.   

And Run for the STARS seeks to do both.   As a church we have seen the burdens and concerns of our families who have children with disabilities.  We want to come alongside them and help them carry those burdens.    Sure, we could have passed the offering plate and raised money that way.  Would have been lots easier, and don’t think I haven’t thought about it.   But through Run for the STARS 5k, we are declaring to our community in a bold way that we believe people with disabilities are worth running for.  We are not just anti-abortion.   We are pro-life in the broadest sense of the word.   We are going to stand by these families from cradle to grave.  We run to prove we mean it. 

And when we run, we raise money.   Money for Training.   Nearly 90% of individuals with intellectual disabilities are unemployed or underemployed.   We believe that God has gifted each person and wants them to use those gifts.   We demonstrate that belief by using funds from Run for the STARS to pay for job coaches so that 10 STARS are being trained to do tasks at our College Church resale shops.  Their self-esteem is growing and one STAR just got a “real job” at another resale shop.  

Run for the STARS also raises money for Recreation and Respite.  We provide scholarships for STARS and their families to attend Christian camps and retreats.  We know that caregivers need a break.    Gil Fonger, President and CEO of Marklund, related this story at a recent respite training.   “My daughter does therapeutic horseback riding and the organization provides this seven days a week.   These therapy horses are highly trained and it is a regimented schedule.  However, the horses are rotated so they only work 6 days a week.   The horses do better when they have one day a week just to be a horse.”    Caregivers also do better when they have time just to be themselves.  Time to reflect, recharge and remember that God is their real provider.   One STARS Mom said,   “I think that the biggest reason I go to Joni and Friends Family Retreats is that I feel so close to God when I am there. I am at peace and not worried about the future.” 

And frankly, individuals with disabilities enjoy a break from their caregivers.  Especially when they are having fun.   Makes them forget that they even have a disability.    A little taste of heaven. 

So this year, live out the gospel in a unique way.  Run or Walk for the STARS! 

Run for the STARS 5k

June 8, 2013   8 AM

www.runforthestars.com 

You may be aware of the voices supporting and opposing a proposal for the new Jefferson School Early Childhood Center.  A referendum to build the $17 million facility is expected to be voted on in the April 9 balloting.    By providing early intervention, 90-95% of these children are able to be mainstreamed into their neighborhood schools. 

More information about the referendum can be found at:  http://wheaton.patch.com/articles/district-200-passes-referendum  If you have any questions or concerns about this matter, please contact College Church member, Rosemary Swanson, who is President of the District 200 School Board.  Phone:  630-682-4334; rosemary.i.swanson@gmail.com   

As we think about this issue, let’s remember I Corinthians 12:24-26, But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,  so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.   Christ calls us in the church to have equal concern for one another.  We are not only to look to our own interests, but to the interests of others. 

Last Sunday was Sanctity of Life Sunday, a time when we remember that we are all made in the image of God and that life is sacred.  Let’s not just be anti-abortion;  let’s be truly pro-life by helping everyone, those with disabilities and those without,  be all that God intended them to be.   In John 10:10 Jesus said, ” I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”