Some people take worshiping together as a family for granted. They simply slide into the pew and worship together. There are neither stares nor judgments. They sing, pray and listen to the message. Then, being filled, they head home with renewed strength and faith.
But that is not that way it is for the families of differently-abled individuals; and that is not the way it is for our family. It is difficult to attend worship as a family unit when your heart and mind cannot center on worshiping God. You are sitting on pins and needles and praying that your loved one will not create a disturbance. You hope that they will not utter (or shout out) inappropriate words or sounds, or drum on the pew in front of them or get up and walk around and distract people from their worship. You feel embarrassed; then you feel guilty for feeling that way because in your heart you know they cannot control their actions.
Feeling you belong and are accepted and welcomed is something differently-abled folks and their families yearn for. Rejoicing Spirits has enabled our family to enjoy worshiping together. Our grandson, Blake, is welcomed as a child of God, not someone to be excluded. No one is disturbed or distracted by him. No one shushes him. He likes worshiping God and participating in the service. Since attending Rejoicing Spirits he has, in his own way, expressed his understanding of faith and prayer.
I cannot begin to express my gratitude to our Rejoicing Spirits family and Mosaic for providing the opportunity for us to worship together. In addition to our Rejoicing Spirits family, there are eight family members who attend worship and support Blake in his faith journey.
Rejoicing Spirits has taken God’s love beyond the walls of the church and into the community. Blake needed a service dog and our Rejoicing Spirits family joined our family and the community in raising money for Blake’s new best friend. Now, we have added another Rejoicer to our family, a large, golden retriever named Sparky who adores sitting at Blake’s side during worship.
To quote Romans 15:7 in the Living Bible translation, “So warmly welcome each other into the church, just as Christ has warmly welcomed you; then God will be glorified.”
Rejoicing Spirits truly glorifies our God.
