When Michelle George and Shirley Rudd, members of Wallingford Presbyterian Church in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, proposed the church’s Disabilities Project, the idea centered on children with autism attending Sunday school.
The “dis” was quickly discarded, and the vision enlarged.
The Abilities Initiative, as it is now known, addresses the physical, intellectual, neurological, mental health, and learning divergence encourntered by various congregation members and friends. The decision to embrace the range of differences not only meets their needs but has also served as an encouraging sign to those searching for a church.
“What started as a request to help our Sunday school teachers understand autism and disabilities associated with illnesses soon morphed into difficulties for being an active participant on Sunday mornings,” said Rudd. “The goal is to create an atmosphere of ‘caring-in-community’ regardless of age and personal challenges.”
Established in 2019, the Abilities Initiative began as a training for teachers working with youngsters who are neurodivergent. George, a behavior analyst, and Rudd, who holds a Master of Arts in Christian Education, subsequently spoke with representatives of local churches that have been intentional in ministry to people with differing abilities and those who care for them. They also consulted “That All May Worship: An Interfaith Welcome to People with Disabilities.”
Rudd was ushering in January 2020 when she met Casey Watson, the godson of recently retired pastor François Lacroix, who uses a wheelchair following an industrial accident. She asked if she could “pick his brain,” and his thoughts provided valuable insight.
“He noted, for example, how much standing and sitting we did during the service, and as a result, all he could see were people’s backs,” said Rudd. “He gave me a lot of good information and quite a bit to think about.”
Making Wallingford Presbyterian Church more inclusive began with easily adaptable revisions, such as changing printed materials to approved typefaces, enlarging the bulletin to include hymns and Scripture readings and offering visual schedules to show the sequence of the service with clipart prompts.
The church library has purchased books for children and adults on topics including the autism spectrum, hearing and visual impairment, Down syndrome, diversity, Alzheimer’s disease and the role of caregivers. The titles provide a kinder, softer approach for talking about difficult situations with siblings, other relatives and friends.
A training session open to the entire congregation expanded the focus, resulting in programs centered on Parkinson’s disease, aging and ageism, senior care, and navigating and advocating for oneself and loved ones in the health-care system. Children were invited to a summer series exploring differences related to vision, hearing, speech, and physical abilities through books, discussions and fun activities.
Changes to the sanctuary, aimed at offering ways to make seeing and participating easier for everyone, are ongoing. The church purchased 100 chairs to replace sections of pews and recently completed improvements to the audio-visual system, including enhanced sound, monitors to afford a better view of the service and a camera with multiple capabilities.
Each item addressed leads to numerous untapped ideas.
“God has provided us with resources to get us this far,” said George. “Our feeling of gratitude for God’s goodness continues to remain a constant, and we’re sure that we’re being called to keep moving forward in a bigger way.”
Leslie Krowchenko; Communications Coordinator; Wallingford Presbyterian Church; Wallingford, Pennsylvania (Presbytery of Philadelphia)
Let us join in prayer for:
Sandy Johnson, Financial/Budget Analyst, Budgets and Forecasting, Administrative Services Group
Debra Jones, Legal Assistant, Risk Management, Administrative Services Group
Let us pray:
Gracious God, we are reminded every day that it is OK to be different. Help us to reach out to all who need a helping hand to see the goodness you bring to each of us. Amen.
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