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Hands In Hand

Have you ever considered which ministry at your church is indispensable? You know, the one you would not give up under any circumstances?

At First Baptist Covington, Louisiana, the ministry we could not do without would be our Hands in Hand ministry. Hands In Hand is a ministry to special needs children and adults and their families. It seeks to care for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the entire family.

Three events occurred several years ago that moved us toward this special ministry.

First, one of our pastoral families had a special needs child. We got to see up close the loving care of this family for their son.

Second, we realized that most special needs families had no place to attend church as a family. Most churches are simply not equipped to care for special needs families, especially on a large scale. But seeing a need and launching a ministry are very different. The third reason made it work.

Third, we had a number of professionals who work with special needs families during the week who asked us to let them do this ministry on Sundays as well. I must admit I thought people who do this work all week long did not want to work this way on the weekend. I happily confess how wrong I was. People want to use their abilities for God.

A genuine need, God’s spiritual gifts, and committed people came together to make this work.

So why is this indispensable? Precisely because it provides nothing in return. It is an “unto the least of these” ministry. But that brings enormous returns in the blessings of God and in the blessings of people. Hands In Hand has showered us with God’s blessings. We have met people who we would never have known. We now know families who serve their children day by day. They are on the front lines of caring for others. We are wonderfully blessed.

Yesterday at FBC we had our sixth annual “Yes We Can” Special Needs Family Festival and Expo. Over 400 volunteers worked tirelessly to care for the needs of others. It was a great day.

I want to thank all of you who made this possible. You know who you are. So does God. May He continue to bless you.

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4 Responses

  1. dear pastor waylon,
    i am a special needs adult. i had polio when i was a year old. post-polio at 55 years old. i am 61. the post-polio is very tiring. i have to rest a lot.
    i wanted to ask you if your special needs program can have someone bring me to church.
    my legs get very tired from driving, even though i had polio in my right arm.
    i need to connect with sunday school there. i think i would feel better getting into the word more.
    thank you very much,
    debbie hicks

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