Daniel Krewson (left), pastor of
Calvary Lutheran Church in West Chester, Pa., put stoles around the shoulders of some partici-
pants of the monthly Rejoicing Spirits worship. Pictured are:
Samantha Bucher, Fred Gaffney, Laurie Scoggins, Hunter Hope and Erica Thomas. Also shown
are Krewson’s wife, Jill, and their daughter, Sophie. Passing the
peace (inset) are Betty Peterson, Wendy Gainor, Greg Merritt, and Karen and Fred Gaffney.
W
earing light blue logo T-shirts, carrying large banners and waving
butterflies on sticks, children and adults informally process into church. Here it’s OK to play a tambourine, shout out or unexpectedly walk up to the altar, for this service is designed for people with intellectual and developmen- tal disabilities.
Susan Crawford is founder and director of Rejoicing Spirits, a ministry of nearly 30 churches in 10 states—Dela- ware to Maine, Tennessee to Texas—that have scheduled one or two services a month for people with special needs. In addition to Lutheran, participating churches include United Methodist, Presbyte- rian, Church of God and Baptist. Started at Crawford’s home church, St. Paul Lutheran in Exton, Pa., today the movement is catching on as a way to both reach out to the community and serve people with disabilities.
“This is a place where they
Healy is a Connecticut-based freelance writer and member of Trinity Lutheran, Brewster, N.Y.
Rejoicing Spirits
By Wendy Healy
‘This is a place where they count’
count,” said Mark Singh-Hueter, pastor of St. Paul. “It’s a place where they are valued; they are affirmed. They feel God is here.”
Although Crawford has a degree in social work, she later went into the computer field. But she has always had a heart for people with special needs. “I was praying and trying to discern what my gifts were and what I wanted to do, and the Holy Spirit put this idea in my
14 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org head,” she said.
From her days work- ing and volunteering in group homes, she knew the residents didn’t always get a chance to go to church. When they did, they were often shushed and given stern looks if they shouted or acted out. Crawford assessed community needs, then approached St. Paul’s church council. Rejoicing Spirits was born.
Crawford then began contacting community agencies, group homes and
other organizations to invite people to Rejoicing Spirits.
The first service was held in October 2003. “We didn’t know if anyone would show up,” she recalled. “We had 50 people. Vans from group homes and their families came to church.” Today, St. Paul hosts about 100
people on the second Sunday of the month at 4 p.m. Crawford calls it an “adapted service,” a slimmed down version of Sunday worship. It includes a procession, confession, pastor’s message and prayers, all mixed with songs and customized
JANETTE MCVEY
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