Church group meets spiritual needs of intellectually disabled

At first glance, the atmosphere resembles most church services.  A second look reveals a group of people who ordinarily would not make it to church. Melissa Moore decided to implement the Friendship Ministry, a national organization devoted to meeting the spiritual needs of people with intellectual disabilities, right here in Chester [Virginia, USA] at the Chester United Methodist Church. “Most of their physical and emotional needs are being met.  They have financial help, they have programs to help them with housing, and they have programs to get them to the grocery store, but their spiritual needs are never addressed,” Moore says. “We all have the same needs, and to overlook them because of their disability is a tragedy.” The program pairs each participant with a buddy to make crafts, pray, do mini-dramas, have bible study, and then attend the Sunday evening worship service. Read Article

By Krista Hutchins