Keep Everyone Posted
Living in an increasingly digital world can be daunting—but it has its advantages, especially when it comes to communication. You can utilize all types of instant communication methods, often for free, and reach a large number of people at the same time. This opportunity is an excellent way to increase your communication with people with special needs within your church.
People and families with special needs often find themselves running back and forth between a variety of medical specialists and therapies. While they may desire to participate in a church event, they do not have the time to read a long email, or even make it to the service to grab a bulletin full of announcements. Enter the digital age to save the day! Create a Facebook group, utilize a group texting service, or create a short and sweet email blast that invites people with special needs to events and activities at your church. This communication does not need to be an exclusive group—in fact, including more members of your church will also help promote the details and information you’re sharing to everyone in the community. Just find a way to make the information easily accessible and saved for reference at a later date.
Send a Card
It may sound a little old-school, but sometimes getting a card in the mail is exactly what someone needs to brighten their day. We already mentioned that having a special need or a person with special needs in your family means you are continually balancing the everyday demands of life (like work and school) with constant doctor appointments and specialized therapy. There may be months where a family with special needs can barely make it to the grocery store, let alone find the time to be part of their church or community.
You can’t wave a magic wand and make someone’s schedule easier, but you can take the time to write a note to a person or family with special needs regularly. Use a church postcard, find a greeting card that has an encouraging message inside, or jot down a quick note on a sheet of paper that lets the person know you are thinking of them and want to be there as a resource for anything the church can provide.
Create a Team
Many churches have teams for social media maintenance, outreach to senior citizens, and organization of community events, so add a team tasked with maintaining communication and increasing outreach for people and families with special needs. Ask your church family for volunteers of people who would be willing to write notes, make phone calls, or even take meals to the special needs community within your church.
You can even take your team a step further and ask them to look for local resources for families with special needs. They might learn about local respite care or an event that is designed especially for people with specific disabilities. Many hands make light work, so the more people that can be involved in this team, the better chance you have of increasing your outreach and learning some useful information.
