A joy-filled service just for them Worship draws in families with special needs
By Erin Strybis I
t starts with a parachute in the sanctuary. Children and adults of all abilities hold its edges and lift multicolored sheets up and down while singing “Jesus Loves Me.” Jayden
Clarke, who is 4 and full of energy, is often the first to go into the center, where he is surrounded by billowing fabric, smiling faces, and love and acceptance. This is Joyful Noise. Jayden was diagnosed with autism just before his third
birthday. Since he can’t sit still or stay quiet for long, it’s hard for his entire family to attend worship without fear of bothering others. But Jayden and his family find solace at Joyful Noise, a monthly service for children and adults with special needs at Faith Lutheran Church, Hillsborough, N.J. “This was a way for us to go as a family to church without any type of looks and everyone can just be themselves,” said his mother, Jessica Clarke. “When we’re at the Joyful Noise service, we’re all in the same boat.” Parachute time and the well-loved hymn is Jayden’s favorite
part of Joyful Noise. Clarke appreciates the welcoming atmosphere and how comfortable it makes her daughter Morgan feel as the sibling of a child with special needs.
Hearing the call, meeting the need Clarke learned about Joyful Noise when her friend Tori Wargo, a special education teacher, posted about it on Facebook. Wargo and Allyson Williams, another member of Faith and a special education teacher, launched the service in November 2015 (
faithlutherannj.org/worship). They got the idea from Faith’s pastor, Bill Zimmermann.
“I had read an article about a church doing something similar and was moved by the comments of families who had been touched by the service,” he said. “I remember thinking what a wonderful ministry and what a wonderful thing to offer to folks who felt excluded.” Zimmermann gave Wargo and Williams a copy of the
article, asking them if this was possible for their congregation. “Once they read it, they kind of ran with it,” he said. The teachers started with visits to two similar services in
New Jersey and then met with Zimmermann to brainstorm. They shared what they loved and discussed what could be adapted for Faith’s context. And thus, Joyful Noise was born. “We thought ‘Joyful Noise’ was the perfect name,” Wargo
said. “When you have a special-needs child and you have to go to a place where the expectation is silence, there is such a level of anxiety of parents. To be able to sit and say, ‘It’s OK, the noise you’re going to make is absolutely joyful, that’s music from God,’ is such a comfort.” Services last approximately 30 minutes and are filled with music, movement and special moments for guests of varying
28 JANUARY 2017 Photos: David Joel
Jeffrey Yang shares a sign of peace with his mother, Irene, as part of the monthly Joyful Noise service at Faith Lutheran Church in Hillsborough, N.J.
Mary McKenna (front left) and Tori Wargo (front right) play instruments during the “Joyful Noise” hymn.
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