Metamora church makes disciples of children with autism

METAMORA—Partridge Point Community Church wants to make sure it follows the Great Commission, including bringing the Gospel to children with different needs like autism.

The year-old church plant, which meets at Metamora Township High School at 9:30 a.m. Sundays, raised about $10,000 in June to rent and equip a sensory room that can serve children on the autism spectrum.

The accommodations ministry is called Hand in Hand and adapts the curriculum used in the church’s other children’s classes.

A suitable ministry

Not long after the church started meeting, a family with a 5-year-old, nonverbal autistic boy started attending, but, like at most churches, there were no ministries designed for children with needs like their son’s, said Jon Bricker, pastor at Partridge Point.

“The churches they’d been to didn’t have ministries suitable to their family or to their 5-year-old,” he said.

Bricker said that when the mom was asked what they wanted for their son at the church, she replied, “I just want Bo to be able to connect with Jesus in his own way, in the way that he’s able to.”

“I had not thought about that,” Bricker said. “How do we make disciples of those in the autistic community, or those in the special needs community? Our stated mission is that we want to demonstrate the grace, beauty and presence of Jesus in our community, so, certainly, having an accommodations ministry, serving families with special needs, would do that.”

The family liked Partridge Point and wanted to be part of it, so they and others at the church decided to raise money to equip the high school’s existing special needs classroom with materials specifically aimed at helping children with autism. 

It helped that Morgan Durley, a member of Partridge Point’s launch team, is a special needs teacher in the Eureka school system. The pediatric speech-language pathologist primarily works with autistic preschoolers. She and others had already been thinking along the lines of ministering to children with such needs.

“There was this amazing support and traction within our small church for this,” Bricker said.

Making ‘Bolievers’ out of people

The fundraiser featured T-shirts with “Boliever,” a play on words using the child’s name, Bo, and “believer.” There was also a bake sale, food truck, face painting, and other activities.

The money raised enabled Patridge Point to buy equipment like a mini-trampoline, properly sized table and chairs, sensory toys, and noise-canceling headphones, Durley said.

“So far, we have been able to serve two families through Hand in Hand,” she said. “It has been such a blessing to have a safe space for these kiddos to feel safe, regulated, and to learn about Jesus in their own way.”

Such a project had been on Durley’s and the Brickers’ hearts since the church’s launch in June 2023.

“With what I do for work, I have met many wonderful families who didn’t feel comfortable attending church because of their child’s needs, and this always broke my heart,” Durley said. “Beth (Bricker) and I agreed to revisit the conversation if a need came up and soon after that, this family started attending our church. They have an amazing son who is on the autism spectrum.”

‘God hears our prayers’

Once the money was raised, the church created a list of classroom needs, trained the volunteers, and created some materials adapted “to go along with our current kid's ministry curriculum,” Durley said.

The Durleys and others have been taking turns as volunteer teachers in the classroom since June.

“This ministry means a lot to me,” Durley said. “For the past couple of years, I’ve been praying for the opportunity to start or be a part of some kind of ministry for kids with special needs and their families. Getting to be a small part of this ministry from the ground up has been such a reminder to me that God hears our prayers.”

While Hand in Hand is still in the beginning phases, Durley feels “strongly that God is behind this ministry and I’m excited to see where it goes.”

“My hope is that we can provide a safe, loving, and adapted space for kids of all abilities in order to teach them about Jesus!” 

How can your church help children with different needs?

“Your best resource is the families of children with special needs! I would recommend starting by having a conversation with these families about what would make them feel the most supported at church,” said Morgan Durley, a special education teacher in the Eureka school district and part of Partridge Point Community Church in Metamora. 

“Logistically, you need to have a space, funds for sensory equipment and adapted materials, and volunteers who are trained and willing to work with kiddos who have different needs.”

If you are interested in attending Partridge Point Community Church and have a child who may need the help of a sensory room while you’re there, you can go to the church’s website and fill out an accommodations form before visiting. More information is on this page.