Faith Methodist Church’s special needs ministry makes every child feel like a gem
The GEMs (God Enables Me) programme run by the Children’s Ministry at Faith Methodist Church (FMC) started in 2004 with the mission of reaching out to children with special needs, and helping them learn about God and the Bible. It began with five children and now, nearly two decades later, there are 20 participants between the ages of 12 and 29, who have medical or developmental conditions such as global developmental delay (GDD), cerebral palsy (CP) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The two founding members, Ms Janice Choo and Ms Christina Lim, have children of their own with special needs. Janice has two boys, aged 24 years and 23 years, who have dyspraxia and ASD respectively. Christina’s daughter, Gracia, is 29 years old and has CP. They found that the large group format at the usual Sunday school could not keep their children fully engaged. And so, they decided to see if they could start a separate programme for their children.
Children with special needs can be discipled
However, Janice and Christina faced challenges when starting this ministry.
“There was a lot of resistance. People didn’t believe that kids with special needs could learn. They thought that it was enough to give them some space to have fun, make friends and pick up general life skills. But we believe that children with special needs can be discipled and that God will help them learn biblical truths. Hence, we went against the odds and worked with the Children’s Ministry to get GEMs started,” Janice said.
Ms Pearly Sim, pastoral staff-in-charge of the Children’s Ministry at FMC, adds, “Every person is special to God, whatever his or her abilities or needs. Our mission is to reach out and help them to become fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ.”
According to Janice, about half of the families came to FMC because of GEMs.
Catering to special needs
Much thought is put into how the sessions are run and the needs of the participants are prioritised. For instance, curriculum and devotional materials are selected to cater to participants who learn better with visual cues. Worship songs that have actions or come with American sign language enable those who are less verbal to worship with the rest.
“We try to select songs which are not too loud because some participants are easily triggered by loud sounds,” said Janice.
One team member, who the children know as “Teacher Juliana”, used to teach in special education schools. She leads the craft preparation team which collates materials and tries out various modes of lesson instructions to engage the children and youth.
“The GEMs ministry is blessed with support from the church and many volunteers,” Christina said, grateful that the team is able to take on a range of roles including befriending, teaching, worship leading, lesson preparation and follow-up to reinforce Bible lessons.
Presently, the GEMs programme is conducted in hybrid mode—a combination of on-site and online lessons.
However, a lot of preparation and extra work is required to run the programme in hybrid mode. The team not only has to ensure that the onsite programme is running smoothly with properly set-up materials, but also see to it that supplies for craft activities and devotion materials are sent to the members prior to the online sessions. Extra work aside, this has proven to be a blessing in disguise.
“The hybrid model enabled us to remain connected with our members, especially when Covid-19 safe management measures were in place. Additionally, people who were previously unable to join us due to a long commute or mobility issues, are now able to participate virtually,” said Janice.
Blessed to be a blessing
Thanks to GEMs, the participants with special needs are now able to partake in rituals that many of us take for granted. Joanna, who has epilepsy and mild intellectual disability, recalled her experience partaking in Holy Communion and could say with conviction, “Jesus died on the cross for us!”
However, participants at GEMs are not merely recipients; they encourage and bless others too. Once, Juliana shared with Gracia, who is usually reticent and not able to express herself verbally, that she was in pain. “She did not say much at that time but I found out later that Gracia went home and prayed for Teacher Juliana to be well.”
Mr Brian Lim, a volunteer who helps with IT and equipment set-up, was moved when he saw GEMs members respond to worship and the Word. He said, “We may be helping the members learn about God but through their expressions of love for God, I find myself drawing closer to God too.”
A safe place
The GEMs ministry has become a source of support and friendship both for the parents and their children. “GEMs is like a family. It is a safe place where they can be who they are,” Janice said.
Mr Adrian Chong and his wife, Melinda, have been attending GEMs for 15 years with their twin autistic boys, Alex and Benjamin, aged 24 years. Melinda, who also helps in the worship team, said, “Prior to GEMs, we spent two years in the wilderness, having left our church because the kids could not fit in with the church’s mainstream nursery group due to their behavioural issues.”
Parents of children with special needs often have to deal with judgement from strangers who do not understand why their children seem so badly behaved. “Meltdowns in public were very frequent when they were younger. They would roll on the ground, scream and cry loudly, bite, kick and hit us,” shared Melinda.
“I can still recall one particularly stressful incident. The boys went totally berserk at an MRT station when they were about 15 years old. Benjamin was triggered by something and started shouting. That affected Alex. Both started running around and shouting, alarming the other commuters. My helper felt helpless and was sobbing away. I rushed down to find the three of them in a room with nine station control staff trying to calm them down. I felt so humiliated, desperate, frustrated and stressed.”
To find a place like GEMs has been a huge relief for Adrian and Melinda. “We feel very well supported here. We are not alone. Our kids are not judged for their behaviour. It is like a big family where the children can make friends outside school. The children look forward to attending GEMs every Sunday,” she adds.
The blessing that the GEMs ministry brings is best expressed by its members.
“Yi Cai and I were in the same school but we never met in school. We met here. I like to dance and worship God with my good friend, Yi Cai,” said Joanna.
Yi Cai, who is autistic, nodded in agreement.
The GEMs team welcomes volunteers to join them in their mission. Email Pearly Sim at pearlysim@faithmc.sg for more information.
