"But what if we don't have someone with your background at our church?" (part 2 of 2)
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Yesterday, I posted part 1 of this post. (If you missed it, click here to read that first!) It focused on the qualities necessary for a special needs ministry coordinator. This is the promised second half, explaining why my certifications and degrees don't always amount to much on Sunday mornings, because...
(2) My prior experience isn't always helpful.
Let me qualify that statement with two stories:
While my background helps and while I know other special needs ministry coordinators with similar backgrounds, it's not necessary. Because, experienced or not, it's God who is ultimately in control. If we truly believe that there is a biblical basis for special needs ministry, then we also can believe that God is able to provide and equip the right person to lead it at your church.
That may be someone on your staff (like Eden, who I mentioned yesterday), that may be a volunteer (like me), that may be someone who is already involved in your children's ministry (like I was), or that may be someone you don't know (like most of our one-on-one volunteers were until they responded to a blurb in the bulletin).
Pray for that person. And pray expecting God to provide the volunteers needed in His perfect timing.
(2) My prior experience isn't always helpful.
Let me qualify that statement with two stories:
- One Sunday, we had a child - who I'll call Brandon - join us. His family attends our church regularly, but they often have a neighbor watch Brandon instead of bringing him with them, so we had only seen him a handful of times before this particular Sunday. He has both Down syndrome and autism, a combination often abbreviated as DS+ASD. And that Sunday, whenever he was unhappy and couldn't communicate why, he spat. His one-on-one buddy brought him to me, unsure of what to do, after he had spat on blocks, at the guitar, at other children, and in the volunteer's face. I crouched down next to Brandon, and before I could begin talking to him, he spat in my face too.
Did I know what to do? No. Was my training particular useful in that moment? Not a whole lot.
So, as I talked to him, I prayed. A lot. I asked God to help me communicate in a way that made sense to Brandon, because I knew that this unsanitary behavior needed to change. I wasn't sure if he understood as we reentered the class, but I stayed with him and his buddy for the rest of the class, which was less than ten minutes. And he didn't spit again. (Thanks be to God!)
- The other great example is when I introduced myself to a mom. As I shared a little about my background with her, I unintentionally made myself seem like the great expert instead of a servant humbly seeking information from her about her child. I always intend to be a student of our families, and I wasn't in this instance. She saw that, and she made it pretty clear that she didn't appreciate it. It wasn't my best moment, and thankfully we've recovered from it...but I point it out to demonstrate that knowledge and experience can be a curse rather than a blessing if it isn't tempered with humility and a James 1:19 attitude (quick to listen, slow to speak).
While my background helps and while I know other special needs ministry coordinators with similar backgrounds, it's not necessary. Because, experienced or not, it's God who is ultimately in control. If we truly believe that there is a biblical basis for special needs ministry, then we also can believe that God is able to provide and equip the right person to lead it at your church.
That may be someone on your staff (like Eden, who I mentioned yesterday), that may be a volunteer (like me), that may be someone who is already involved in your children's ministry (like I was), or that may be someone you don't know (like most of our one-on-one volunteers were until they responded to a blurb in the bulletin).
Pray for that person. And pray expecting God to provide the volunteers needed in His perfect timing.