Involving People With Disabilities In Worship

By neglecting to include persons with disabilities, the church impoverishes itself. Disabled persons complete the church body, have special gifts, and are called by God to minister to the church. Christians need to be concerned about their church facilities and their language in order to facilitate their unity with their disabled members. Harold Wylie is an elderly and significantly retarded member of Grace Church. Though ambulatory, he walks with difficulty; his language skills are limited. Conversation with Harold consists mainly of a few stock phrases, the most frequent being "How ya doin' buddy," accompanied by a pat on the back. Harold speaks this line many times each Sunday, occasionally with a twist. Once I heard him greet our pastor with the words,"Hello, you devil you!" Only Harold could get away with that, though others of us are tempted to try! One Communion Sunday, I came to understand the importance of Harold's presence in our congregation in new ways. The liturgy that …