Lo & Behold

Church should be the most disability-friendly place on earth, right?  Well—not so much.  Though 20% of us are dealing with disability according to the US Census, only about 10% of churches nationwide have any sort of Disability Ministry outreach according to Joni and Friends.  As the former Church Relations Coordinator for Joni and Friends/DFW, I personally consider even that paltry percentage to be wildly optimistic. 

So Lo & Behold–imagine my delight when Richardson East Baptist Church here in Richardson went above and beyond to make their humble place of worship accessible to me.

You see, I have MS (well some people call it MS but I call it VIP Parking).  And my husband Larry is legally blind so we are no strangers to disability.  Without really even thinking about accessibility issues, we gladly accepted an invitation from our friend Calvin Rutherford to attend a Sunday morning Bible Study just minutes from our home.

But alas!  Though we planned to attend services afterwards, not one of their three restrooms proved accessible to me.  So sadly, we were forced to leave early.  Proof positive as I pointed out in my October 2014 Blog Post “No Room For Rest” that if people with disabilities can’t “go” at your church—they can’t come to it.

However Calvin caught wind of my dilemma and relayed it straight to the top. “This is a priority! “ thought Pastor Wayne Lewis regarding renovations to increase accessibility.  “We have to get this thing done.”  A carpenter by trade just like Jesus, Pastor Wayne along with a group of volunteers wasted no time tearing down walls and redoing plumbing to make both restrooms in the Fellowship Hall “good to go” for me!

No Committee meetings to contemplate!  No fundraisers!  No excuses!  Without fanfare or kudos, THEY SIMPLY JUST DID THE RIGHT THING!

Not only did they tackle accessibility issues boldly, in 2012 REBC hired Joshua Busby, who has Muscular Dystrophy, as Youth Minister.  Josh says that prior to his job interview “they didn’t know about my disability!  But there was never any question.  They didn’t blink!” Josh was hired on the spot.

Yeah verily that speaks volumes without saying a word to current and future generations about how we are to value, esteem and empower people and families of ALL abilities.

I stumbled upon (pun intended) a YouTube video entitled The Disabled — One of the Least Evangelized People Groups in the World by an unidentified pastor with disabilities who succinctly summed up the situation in his heavy Scottish brogue:  “It’s not about ramps and loos (i.e., toilets)—it’s about heart and attitude.”  Amen & Hallelujah!

Richardson East Baptist Church humbly displays that heart and attitude for people and families affected by disability in Richardson and beyond…exceeding abundantly (IMHO).  Well Done Thou Good & Faithful Servants. 

May all churches small and large worldwide go forth and do likewise.

in His Accessible Grace,

Linda