Becky and I once visited a very large church in another city. At the door the usher said, “Oh, you’ll want the special section.”
It wasn’t a question.
We were herded to the back, off to one side, where everyone with an obvious disability was grouped together. Becky, Monte, and I felt welcomed there, but the question’s obvious, right?
Why assemble the quadriplegic with the autistic child and the amputee and the guy with MS and the elderly lady in a wheelchair? In an auditorium that probably seated 3000, we had one thing in common-we made others feel uncomfortable.
It’s clear whose needs were being met. We were the modern-day equivalent of the leper colony-as much out of sight and mind as possible.
On the flip side, our church designates an area for hearing impaired folks. Of course, with today’s technologies coming to their rescue in the form of hearing aids like those described on EarPros, it becomes a tad easier for them to be more aware of their surroundings. Still, not everyone has accesss to such help, or may not even benefit from them. It becomes important to meet their needs as well. A friend serves occasionally as interpreter, so I’ve watched the group dynamics. They sit in front, “talk” and laugh together, and have developed a sense of camaraderie. The group meets their needs.
My friend tells me this arrangement was discussed among the clients. I doubt if anyone in the other church bothered to ask disabled folks about the “special section.”
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I’m asked a lot about the question of separate programs for folks with special needs versus inclusion in existing programs. The plain truth is that we all have special needs and each situation needs to be evaluated individually. But I’d offer two general principles.
The most unfair thing we can do is treat everyone the same.
Be clear about whose needs are being served by the choice.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:2-4)
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Okay, so that’s a long story to get to my main point regarding FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR.
Lots of folks ask us about special circumstances, and what we try to make clear is that everyone’s circumstances are special. We’ll help you find a way to get involved. What we can’t do is make it easy, because it’s not supposed to be easy.
A mission trip or service opportunity often becomes a hall of fame, a place for only the highly-qualified. That’s not what God has in mind, so we’re not seeking only experienced cyclists with high-tech bikes and tons of money.
Your circumstances offer a choice. You can decide to use them as an excuse to sit on the sidelines, or you can view them as an opportunity to tell a remarkable story.
We’re going to raise at least a year’s support for about twenty-five kids who’ve been rescued from human trafficking in New Delhi. That’s a pretty cool story, and you don’t have to be a hall-of-famer to contribute a paragraph or two.
Come and join us. It’s gonna be a blast!
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