The Rev. Shannon Blosser sees how his son loves church: the music, the singing, the communion. But the United Methodist pastor said his family hasn’t always felt like 11-year-old Noah, which is autisticwas welcome.
At one point, Blosser’s wife and the couple’s two sons stopped attending in-person services at the church where he served. “If we had felt more supported, we probably would have continued.”
Many people with disabilities, advocates and families want more religious congregations to know that there are ways to accommodate and include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities this holiday season – and throughout the year – and fully support them and their families. embrace.
“They just have to be willing to be the church that sees the image of God in every child and every adult,” says Blosser, who now serves two small churches in West Virginia that support his family’s needs.
Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, one of the congregations, is hosting a “Calm Christmas,” a sensory-friendly celebration and worship, where the music will come from a guitar instead of a piano, and candles will be exchanged for glow sticks to avoid any dangers. There are fidget toys and a ‘visual schedule’ to help those who need images and pictures better process the sequence of events.
Blosser’s message to those present? Be yourself.
“Families like mine who feel overwhelmed by just the lights and the cameras and the splendor of Christmas Eve can come in and be themselves,” he said. “If you have to run around and do laps, … do it. This is a place where you can be yourself, so you can experience God’s love.”
He hopes this could be the start of something more regular, such as a quarterly or monthly service.
Linda Bunk, who was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a former name for a form of autism, said it is important to work not only to facilitate accessibility in churches, but also to promote belonging.
For example, ask someone with Down syndrome if he or she would like to be on the welcome team or if he or she would like to sing or play guitar, suggested Bunk, who is a photographer and has served on Christian mission trips, including to Ukraine.
“Let them serve as they can,” she said. “God blessed them with all kinds of talents and if we don’t ask or welcome them, we will never know what they can do.”
Bunk, who has bipolar disorder and lives in Virginia, said she especially enjoys seeing people with disabilities worshiping with the entire congregation, rather than individually.
“Why can’t we all have that together… and have fun, dance, sing, eat,” she said. “It breaks the barriers of ‘disability is scary.’”
Blosser said people with disabilities should be part of inclusion planning to provide guidance and identify errors.
He also encourages congregations to follow the Golden Rule. “What would you like to have done?” he said. “For most of us, we would want understanding; we would want compassion.”
Participate in an inclusive Hanukkah service
In Teaneck, New Jersey, Congregation Rinat Yisrael is organizing an inclusive gathering Hanukkah service later this month. The synagogue’s Hanukkah minyan, the quorum of at least 10 men needed for public worship, will include Dov Marcus, a congregant with autism, who will recite blessings over the Torah.
“The idea is not to give him his one chance a year to be called to the Torah for blessings,” said Stephen Glicksman, a synagogue member and director of innovation at the Makor Care & Services Network, which supports people with intellectual and developmental disorders. disabled people and their families and is a co-sponsor of the service. “It’s up to people to see that he’s capable of being drafted … and then put on the roster just like everyone else who is called up periodically to receive that honor.”
Organizers said the service aims to give all people the opportunity to pray in a welcoming, accessible and sensory atmosphere that transcends the holidays.
Marcus attends synagogue weekly and Glicksman says he often laughs, claps and hums during the service. Most congregants, however, have never heard him because he rarely talks outside his home, Glicksman said.
“I think the people out there will be very surprised that he has that capacity.”
According to Glicksman, inclusion should not be seen as an event or activity, but rather as a mindset.
Marcus, who was diagnosed with autism at age 2, said receiving the honor of reciting the blessings “makes me happy because I feel closer to Hashem,” using a Hebrew word for God.
His parents became aware of his sensitivity to sounds when they first took him to synagogue. During the Jewish holiday of Purim, he was overwhelmed by the noisy congregation. It would also happen when he heard the shofar – a ceremonial ram’s horn, sounded on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
But growing up, he always felt connected to Judaism, wrapping up the leather thongs of tefillin and praying with his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor.
“He loves the Jewish music, the Jewish service. This is where he shines,” said his mother, Debbie Marcus, adding that his favorite time is attending synagogue.
She remembers how he recited the blessings over the Torah during his Bar Mitzvah, causing many in the congregation to weep with joy.
“To see Dovie light up the room, to be included and respected and honored as he is – that is the highlight of Hanukkah.”
Making places of worship more hospitable
David Mandell, professor of psychiatry and director of the Penn Center for Mental Health at the University of Pennsylvania, urged leaders to make their houses of worship welcoming from the moment members walk through the door, taking into account, for example, how greeters are trained. According to him, the message that everyone is welcome should also come from the pulpit.
Other things to consider, he said: Is there a quiet, sensory-friendly room where families can go if they need to and still watch the service remotely? Who in the community can volunteer to meet the needs of families?
Many families “will not return regularly for the Great Holy Days or for Christmas and Easter or for Eid if they feel their child is not welcome,” he said.
Challenges are not uncommon at religious schools, said Mandell, who worked with his synagogue to train teachers there.
In Wisconsin, Kathleen Krueger said going to church with her daughter, who has cognitive disabilities and autism, was sometimes challenging, especially when she was younger. When her daughter had an outburst, people stared at her, she said.
That would make Krueger feel “very, very sad” for her daughter and “also bad for us because no one wants to stand out in a negative way.”
The family continued to attend services, but she realized that other families dealing with disabilities were not doing so.
Krueger led an effort to start a special needs ministry in the Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, now part of New Life Lutheran Church in Kenosha. It started with holidays and other special events; Later, monthly Bible classes were added.
The ministry recently held a Christmas celebration that included cookie decorating, crafts, music, a puppet show and a short service. Krueger wanted those in attendance to enjoy themselves and “really feel the love of Jesus.” The participants celebrated the ministry’s 20th anniversary.
Krueger recommends that faith leaders ask people with disabilities and their families how they can better serve them.
As a mother, she said she appreciated when members asked her about her daughter’s challenges, rather than being afraid to start a conversation.
“Everyone appreciates a friendly, loving face that welcomes them.”
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