Feature Issue on Faith Communities and Persons with ... - NCRTM

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Including All God’s Children:
Rock Bridge Christian Church
by Rev. Maureen A. Dickmann
Woodhaven Learning Center was
founded in 1964 to serve children with
developmental disabilities. In a wooded
setting on the outskirts of a university
town, the campus provided residential
care for an average of 100 children at a
time. Many of the original residents
grew to adulthood at Woodhaven. They
acquired the skills necessary to maintain
employment, some in a sheltered workshop
setting and others in the wider
community, returning “home” to the
campus each evening. Their spiritual
needs were attended to by Woodhaven’s
chaplain, and Protestant worship services
were held each Sunday morning.
By the early 1990’s trends in caring
for persons with developmental disabilities
had taken a decided shift away from
segregated care facilities and toward integrating
individuals into a more normal
community life. The Woodhaven board
of directors decided that moving from
campus-centered care to decentralized
housing with staff support would be in
the best interests of the residents.
Apartments, duplexes, and houses were
secured and over a five-year period most
of the residents moved into individualized
living situations with staff support
and supervision provided by Woodhaven.
Campus chapel services were discontinued
during this process, and some
residents who had been faithful participants
at the services were keen to continue
Sunday morning worship elsewhere.
The executive director invited
them to attend her church, Rock Bridge
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),
with her. Several eagerly accepted her
invitation.
Rock Bridge, founded in 1981, is a
small-membership church with a strong
commitment to outreach (“serving the
least of these, Christ’s sisters and brothers”
– Matthew 25) and inclusivity (welcoming
all of God’s children regardless
of race, class, age, ability, etc.). When
the first Woodhaven clients attended
worship, they were warmly welcomed
(as every visitor is) and urged to return
again soon. They did. They also told
their friends about the warm reception
they had experienced and invited them
to come, too.
As pastor, I visited with each one after
repeated attendance indicated their
interest in our church. I explored with
them their faith journey (most had been
baptized as infants or children at their
parents’ home church) and whether they
would like to become members of our
church. Many were eager to claim Rock
Bridge as their church home. As is customary
in most Disciples churches, we
offer an invitation to membership every
week during worship. Individuals or
families indicate their decision to join by
simply coming forward while we sing
our hymn of commitment. At the conclusion
of the hymn, either they transfer
their membership from another church
or profess their faith in Christ as the Son
of the living God. I welcome them into
membership, the congregation reads a
statement promising to love and support
them on their faith journey, and,
during the fellowship time following the
service hugs are exchanged and new
members are celebrated. Woodhaven
clients began to join and to invite more
of their friends until they became quite
a significant presence in Sunday morning’s
attendance, constituting an average
of close to 20 percent of our total.
Our worship service is informal and
begins with a sharing of joys, prayer requests,
and announcements. Many of
our Woodhaven members participate
quite vocally, sharing the celebrations
and concerns of their lives. One man
spontaneously prays at some point during
this part of the service. Although
most of us don’t comprehend much of
what he says beyond “Dear Lord Jesus”
and “Amen,” he feels affirmed by the enthusiastic
congregational “Amen” that
follows his. On occasion, an elder has
been known to speak to him about the
length of the prayer, always expressing
gratitude for his sharing but emphasizing
the importance of brevity. The response
has been one of understanding
and, for the most part, compliance – for
a few weeks anyway.
Disciples celebrate communion every
week. Deacons have responsibility for
preparing and serving communion as
well as collecting the offering. In a 1995
meeting with our nominating committee,
I suggested that a particular Woodhaven
resident would be capable of serving
as a deacon. The committee
responded with enthusiasm, knowing
how honored this individual would feel
and what an important statement her
service as a deacon would make about
the full inclusion of persons with developmental
disabilities in the life of our
church. She was overjoyed to become a
deacon and will start her third term next
January. In each of the subsequent two
years, another Woodhaven resident has
been added to the rota of deacons so
that there is one on each team (a team is
comprised of four individuals who serve
a total of four months throughout the
year). Having a Woodhaven resident on
each team requires a little extra attention
and support from their teammates,
who have been glad to offer that because
of how much being a deacon means to
each of the Woodhaven folks and to our
worshiping community.
In addition to serving as deacons and
participating so broadly in the opening
of worship, Woodhaven members are
also active in other ways. One serves
regularly at the local soup kitchen. He
cooks and serves dinner to 50 homeless
people with the help of a friend who was
formerly one of the support staff at his
home but who now works at another
Woodhaven residence. Their friendship
Citation: Amado, A. N., Gaventa, B., Gaylord, V., Norman-McNaney, R., & Simon, S. R. (Eds.). (2001/02). Impact: <strong>Feature</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> on Faith Communities and
Persons with Developmental Disabilities, 14(3). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration.