New Jersey CRC Recognized for Disability Concerns Ministry

Ian Anderson was not happy when he learned that his family may not be going to church because they had another important commitment on a recent Sunday morning.

Among other things, Ian plays the tambourine during the service and helps out in Sunday School. "Church makes him feel very useful; he wants to go to church," says Emma Anderson, his mother.

But it wasn't always that way at Madison Ave. Christian Reformed Church in Paterson, N.J.

In the late 1990s, it was hard for persons such Ian Anderson who has autism to feel included in the church. At that time, the congregation had not become the welcoming congregation that it is today.

The church, in fact, recently won a Passaic County Champions of Disabilities 2014 award for its many efforts, including placing large-print Bibles in the pews, to make the church an inclusive place for people who are dealing with different disabilities.

The county recognition was then followed by the New Jersey State Senate, which honored the church for receiving the Champions award.

“We were the only church in the area to receive the award. The rest were schools and individuals,” says Emma Anderson, adding that the awards have garnered publicity for an issue that she believes deserves attention.

Anderson, a CRC disability concerns advocate for Classis Hackensack, says her son and a young girl were the first ones in the late 1990s for whom the church developed specialized Sunday School materials.

“When we decided to focus on this, we created our own curriculum over time and the kids even ended up doing a Profession of Faith," she said.

The church went on to develop a tutorship program, purchased a wheelchair accessible van, began offering a PowerPoint presentation with large-font for hymns during Sunday services, and created a library of resources for people interested in the issue of disabilities concerns.

In addition, years ago “we addressed building issues by making the church more accessible with a lift to three levels and an accessible bathroom,” says John Alegra, pastor.

Looking ahead, says Anderson, the church wants to continue developing resources to help people as they age.

Anderson says she is grateful for her pastor and his commitment to the disability concerns ministries that have benefited so many church members, including her son.

She says she is also happy to know that the CRC and Reformed Church in America have joined together — as part of what is called the Reformed Collaborative — to follow the biblical mandate to help those in need by “shedding light on disabilities and the concerns that are involved."

Rev. Mark Stephenson, director of the CRC office of disability concerns, says he is grateful for the work that Emma and her son, Ian, and others at Madison Avenue have done, helping to make it a church that reflects the body of Christ as described in 1 Corinthians 12.

“Scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 12 call churches to become welcoming communities in which every part of the body knows that he or she belongs,” he says.

“But following that call is difficult. It calls the church's leaders to think outside of their own experiences and to listen to the stories and experiences of others,” he says.

In order to do this, he says, churches such as Madison Avenue have intentionally made adaptations to their buildings, developed ministries and worked in other ways “to welcome people whom society tends to exclude.”