We are a ministry rooted in the reformed faith that offers resources on grief, autism, alcoholism, terminal illness and life crises, as well as hope and help for daily life.

Smack-dab in the middle of the Sunday morning excitement at Glasgow Church, there is a dispatch center in full operation.  Its function is to scatter a league of ministers throughout the congregation.  But these ministers aren’t coming from the church offices, nor are they made up of clergy with theological degrees.  Instead, they are volunteers from the Side by Side program, whose qualifications include hope, perseverance and unconditional love.

Side by Side was developed to accommodate individuals with special needs by providing a partner to support them in a variety of church programs including Sunday school classes and choir.  The program creates an environment where everyone in the community can participate as fully as possible in church activities.  Side by Side is a body-building ministry.  It is made up of a group of individuals who are dedicated to partnering with each other to strengthen and enhance the function of the Body of Christ.

Buddy Blessings
One group of volunteers, called “Buddies,” provides support to individuals with disabilities.  This group can build up the Body of Christ in a variety of ways.  For example, Buddies minister to their partners by seeking ways to include them in the church activities that interest them.  With support or accommodations, people with special needs can participate in Bible studies, sports programs, youth group, and much, much more!  A Buddy can make it possible for someone with a disability to be included in a church activity that would otherwise not be accessible.

Another way Buddies strengthen the Body is by demonstrating hearts of mercy.  Christa Burch, Coordinator of Side by Side, has scores of stories of how she has been blessed by the Buddies.  She said,

“In my weekly Bible study, I am reading Ministries of Mercy – The Call of the Jericho Road by Timothy Keller.  The book is about the Biblical mandate for mercy ministry as well as how to motivate and mobilize your local congregation in passionate ministries of mercy to their families and neighbors.  Tim Keller said,

‘[Mercy] must arise out of hearts made generous and gracious by an understanding and experience of God’s mercy.  It is the hearts of the congregation that must be melted until they ask, “Where is my neighbor?’

In my position as coordinator of the Side By Side ministry, I have the privilege of two distinct vantage points.  I watch over our ministry from an administrative perspective by making appropriate pairings of our special kids with their partners, providing logistical coordination, and general oversight.  But I also get to watch Side By Side through the eyes of a mother with a special needs child – a beneficiary to the fruit of this ministry.  I haven’t decided yet which vantage point gives the best view – both are exhilarating.

Week after week, I watch our Buddies walk in the door with the hearts and attitudes of servants of Christ.  Their selfless devotion humbles me.  Their tireless effort to help our children blesses me and gives me peace.  Their unconditional love for this community brings me to tears and encourages me.

What is patently clear to me is that our volunteer’s hearts have been ‘made generous and gracious by an understanding and experience of God’s mercy.’  They’ve been melted by the working of the Holy Spirit in their own lives enough to be pliable in God’s hands to minister through word and deed.  Their hearts are open – ready to receive instruction and God’s direction.  They have captured the essence of 1 Corinthians 12:12–27 by honoring and valuing ALL parts of the Body.  Their love for special needs children is the natural outpouring of their own experience with forgiveness, mercy, and an unfailing love from their Heavenly Father.”

Side by Side Blessings for Buddies
Buddies in the Side by Side ministry encourage not only people with special needs, but their families as well.  Here is Christa’s account of how one couple in this ministry is making strides to integrate their partner into regular Sunday activities and how they have made an eternal impact on their new friend and his family.

“We recently welcomed a new family into our ministry.  It was sort of a “divine accident” if such a thing exists.  The mother was visiting our church and happened to poke her head in the door to our Side By Side room and asked about nursery services for her young son.  I immediately recognized her from the special autism school that my son attends, and knew that she had an older child on the autism spectrum.  I answered her questions and then proceeded to share with her about how our ministry may be an opportunity for her ENTIRE family to attend church together.  Tears streamed down her face as I explained that we would find someone to love and care for her son with autism the way she loves him.

Her son is basically non-verbal and uses a picture notebook to communicate.  He sometimes has behavioral challenges when he’s in a new situation which makes it more difficult to understand and communicate with him.  I paired him with a married couple, who both fell in love with him the instant they met him.  One of the Buddies asked his mother for permission to talk to his teachers at school.  She then went on a mission to find out what made him tick, what motivated him, and what scared or upset him.  She was determined to find a way to connect with him.

Each week I can see him more relaxed.  His behavioral challenges have diminished and he is more willing to participate with his buddies in whatever activities they have planned for him.  They listen to praise and worship music on a CD player, they play and read books together.  We’ve discussed the idea of starting to incorporate some Sunday School curriculum in their time together so he can learn about God’s love for him. 

I’m thrilled that this family can now come to church together in the same car.  They operate as a complete family unit on Sunday mornings.  And what’s more, I know their son with autism feels included and loved by our church family.  He’s even gone so far as to hand his mom the “church” picture from his communication book – obviously a place to which he wants to return!”

Diversity in the Church
The Bible gives us a wonderful picture of diversity in 1 Corinthians 12.  Verses 17-18 read, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?  If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.”   In the Body of Christ we are to celebrate diversity by valuing each individual’s roles and gifts, which were specially selected by God to make the whole body function effectively.  This means that we are not only called to include all, but also to consider that each member has an equal role in ministering within the body.  People with disabilities can discover a relationship with God by experiencing Him, and they can discover a purpose. 

Here we find our second group of volunteers – those that are willing to partner with a Buddy to share their gifts with the rest of the congregation.  This is a difficult concept for some to imagine.  How can someone who doesn’t talk minister to others?  What role is there for a member whose only movement is an eye-blink?  There are marvelous answers to questions like these throughout history and throughout the world.  Harriet Tubman, the famous African-American abolitionist, who led countless slaves to freedom during the Civil War experienced disabling seizures and narcolepsy.   Her disability did not stop her from being used by God.  Tubman's friends and fellow abolitionists claimed that the source of her strength came from her faith in God as deliverer and protector of the weak. "I always tole God," "I'm gwine [going] to hole stiddy on you, an' you've got to see me through.' "

Joni Eareckson Tada and Harriet Tubman
Another remarkable example of how God uses people with disabilities to minister can be seen in Joni  Eareckson Tada.   A diving accident in 1967 left Mrs. Tada a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, unable to use her hands.  After two years of rehabilitation, Joni re-entered the community with new skills and a fresh determination to help others in similar situations.  During those years of rehabilitation, Joni spent long months learning how to paint with a brush between her teeth.  Her high detail fine art paintings and prints are sought after and collected.  Having been catapulted onto a national stage, Mrs. Tada founded Joni and Friends (JAF) in 1979 to accelerate Christian ministry in the disability community throughout the world.  The organization grew into the establishment in 2006 of the Joni and Friends International Disability Center (IDC) which is affecting the lives of thousands of families affected by disability around the globe.
The Bible says that, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’  And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’  On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…”  What are the God-given talents of the weaker or “less-honored” members of your congregation?  Steven may not be able to read a book or music, or even speak, but he is naturally talented at playing his instrument by ear.  Mario was not eligible to earn a high school degree, but he is an outstanding athlete, and uses his talents to coach young children on church sports teams.  Kelly, who has autism, does not initiate conversation with anyone.  However, many are blessed by her ability to memorize scripture and recite it at just the right times.  Even individuals with the most significant challenges have things to offer as part of God’s sovereign plan.  Christa Burch told me, “One of the volunteers refers to her little buddy as ‘unbridled joy.’  Every time she says it, it warms my heart.” 
The opportunities for people with disabilities to share their gifts as part of the Body of Christ are endless for those that are willing to uncover them.  Do you know someone with special needs in your congregation who has not discovered his purpose, or whose God-given talents are being wasted?  What can you do to help that person realize his role as part of the Body?  You do not need to be a weekly volunteer in a special program such as Side by Side, you just need to be willing and available to come alongside your fellow believer, encourage him, and help him find success in the church activities that interest him.

As we pray, “Lord, your kingdom come,” we can look forward to a day when there will be “no division in the body” and when all the parts “have equal concern for each other” (v. 25).  I think of the Indian greeting, “Namaste,” (pronounced, Nah-mah-stay) which means, “The Divine in me identifies with the Divine in you.”  Seek to discover that connection with all members of the Body of Christ.  Then we’ll be celebrating diversity God’s way.

To learn more about Side by Side and other ministries at Glasgow Church, visit http://www.glasgowchurch.com/