Photos courtesy of Barbara Lindsey.
From left: Ben Bylar, Will LeGrand, Katherine Williamson, Jon Andrew McKinney, Cheryl Ledbetter, Carly Chandler, Johanna Jones and Eli Jackson all benefit from the Mustard Seeds ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church.
Over the years, as Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church has grown, church leaders recognized the need to help people with special mental and physical needs in their church and in their area.
While the church had hosted Night to Shine, a prom-like event for those with special needs started by the Tim Tebow Foundation, they realized they needed to do more to reach others in their community.
So the church formed the Mustard Seeds ministry, which offers events, buddies for those with special needs and respite care for parents.
Barbara Lindsey, director of OMPC’s children’s ministry, said while many of the ministry’s programs are geared toward children, people of all ages with special needs are welcome. The youngest person in the ministry is 5 years old and the oldest is 35, she said.
People with special needs are often unreached by churches, Lindsey said, and as part of OMPC’s desire to share their faith with every person, they decided to reach out and help integrate that group.
Not only has OMPC created its own space and programming for people with special needs, but the church also works to bring them into the life of the congregation as a whole, Lindsey said.
The church eliminated some regular seating to create more wheelchair-accessible seating, and while many people thought nothing of it, Lindsey said parents of children who use a wheelchair cried when they saw how the church was willing to meet their needs.
“We are a family of one,” Lindsey said. “... That was huge.”
The church does an Easter egg hunt in April and puts between 6,000 and 7,000 eggs on the field, but they also designate a portion of the field for people with special needs, Lindsey said.
She explained the church makes sure all members of their congregation, regardless of ability, are part of everything they do.
“Anything we do within the walls of OMPC is for every person,” she said.
The respite care is offered on Sunday mornings and evenings, as “buddies” take care of children and other members of Mustard Seeds, allowing parents and caregivers to relax and enjoy the church’s worship services, Lindsey said.
Photos courtesy of Barbara Lindsey.
Jacob Elliott, left, shakes hands with Chuck Clarke, who both are a part of Mustard Seeds, a ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church.
The church also hosts Music Mondays during the summer, during which they have a music therapist teach not only those with special needs, but their siblings as well. There’s also a team of people ready to meet every need that may arise, Lindsey said.
The ministry has helped the church build relationships outside its own doors and expand its influence, she said.
Lindsey is in a small group with the mother of a child with special needs, and being able to watch her benefit from Mustard Seeds has been a joy.
“There’s a lot of unknowns in the life of a special-needs family. … There can always be a fear of isolation and the unknown,” Lindsey said. “To be able to walk [with her], just through how faithful she’s been, … I’ve been able to experience first-hand the true tears she has shed with me and our small group of how deeply [Mustard Seeds] has impacted her life.”
The ministry benefits everyone who gets involved, including the volunteers, Lindsey said.
“It’s life-changing when you get to draw close to a parent of a child with special needs, and you get to realize how what you see [as] tiny changes are monumental in their life,” Lindsey said.
“Eliminating a pew in our sanctuary … that was wrenches and tools and it took several hours. What it spoke to that family was, ‘You matter. Every person in your family matters. Your child is precious to us and we will stop at nothing to make them know that they are a child of God.’”