Last week His Ability Ministries with Checotah First Assembly of God offered training for disability friendly churches with Lonnie and Janet Nance from Unlimited Ministries of Springfield, Missouri.

Lonnie is a retired U.S. Marshal with 29 years of service but is now an Ordained Minister/Chaplain for Special Need Individuals while his wife, Janet, is a full-time stay-at-home mom for their daughter Beth. Together they run Unlimited Ministries out of their home church teaching other churches how to reach those with disabilities.

Lonnie and Janet know too well the heartache of rejection with a child who suffers from a disability because they were asked to leave a church because their daughter Beth made too much noise and distracted others who were trying to hear the sermon. However, this didn’t happen only once but several times until their family found the right church and God opened the door for a new ministry – training others how to reach the disabled like Jesus would do, rather than turning them away.

The current numbers of people living with disabilities is staggering,” Lonnie said. “But the current number of those individuals being turned away from churches is absolutely unacceptable.

“Out of the U.S. population of 326,700,000, approximately 28.7 percent have disabilities but 80 percent of them won’t attend churched due to being shunned by clergy or asked by pastors to leave. That’s 69,783,120 with disabilities not attending church and that’s a shame.”

That’s why Lonnie and his wife began going to church and teaching “Disability and the Church Training.”

“Accessibility is more than having parking spaces, ramps and handicap stalls,” Lonnie said. “It’s about being approachable! Everyone wants to be accepted, especially those who already might feel betrayed by God due to their disability. But God’s accessibility is to everyone, including the disabled. The life of the church centers around celebrating Jesus, worshipping God and having fellowship with other believers. However, many families with disabled family members often feel rejected by others. So why go to church and feel isolated when they can stay home and feel lonely?”

Most churches don’t have special need programs or designated areas where someone with a disability could access it if needed. They don’t have a welcoming committee trained to deal with disabilities.

“Are you prepared to deal with people who may not look a certain way, dress or act accordingly and may interject irrelevancies as the pastor tries to get through his sermon for the day? Most people with disabilities already feel not welcomed, not wanted and definitely not needed by the Church. But are we prepared to do what the Bible says in 1 Peter 3:8 ‘Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.’ However, our culture is highly intolerant of people with physical or mental imperfections. The Church doesn’t even know how to talk let alone work with those with disabilities.”

He went on to explain how embarrassed they were when they were asked to leave the church they attended all because their daughter Beth, who has cognitive and intellectual disabilities, was too noisy.

“We could have let the embarrassment turned into disappoint then that could have led to devastation if we had let it but God had different plans. He led us to a place where we were accepted and loved. Then He led us into ministry where we could teach others how to support the whole family.

“The Bible encourages us to lift one another up, provide for and bear one another’s burdens. When was the last time any of you did that for someone who is disabled or for the parents of a disabled child? Sometimes they just need a 10-minute break. Maybe they need to go to the doctor and not have it be all about their disabled child and their meltdown. Maybe they need fellowship with just another mom who feels overwhelmed by parenting day after day. Remember, most parents with a disabled child seldom get a break from their daily routines. Yet they desperately need the fellowship of other believers. So what can we learn to do differently to include all of God’s children in the church? Isn’t it time we learn how to work with those with disabilities and let them know that the church loves them and accepts them just like Jesus does?”

After Lonnie and Janet taught on the many different disabilities and how to handle them while still ministering to everyone in need, their daughter Beth came up and sang a beautiful worship song, proving that everyone has a place around God’s table.

His Ability Ministries currently operates out of Checotah First Assembly of God and offers special classes to those with disabilities and can be checked out on their Facebook page. After training, they had a Freedom in Jesus Celebration that evening and invited those with disabilities and their families to come play games and enjoy free food and fellowship.