GOD WILL… COMFORT, LOVE AND SERVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS.
We will be His hands and feet in this ministry! 1 Peter 4:10 is our guiding verse as we believe that everyone, regardless of ability, has a purpose and has gifts that God will use to further His kingdom!
In the last few years of our 30+ year history, being one of the only churches in Calgary to have a dedicated ministry to people with special needs and their families, we grew to serve over 250 families who look to Centre Street Church for support and belonging. Throughout our history, an estimated 1,000 individuals per year, including caregivers and family members, are touched by this ministry.
Our Special Needs Ministry to children usually happens in a specialized area accommodating opportunities to regulate the bodies and emotions of children of varying needs and abilities, ages 4-17. We worship and pray together, and learn about God, growing in faith through centre-based programming and a short, interactive lesson. Our Special Needs Ministry to adults takes the form of multiple opportunities and small groups over the week, as well as gathering in the prayer chapel on Sundays.
With an average of 250 people with Special Needs served each month, we need more room so we can impact more people with special needs along with their families and caregivers through biblical teaching and loving community.
Part of the BUILD project includes renovating the current Central Campus Children’s Ministry lower-level spaces to meet the specific needs of our special needs community. This will include a quiet room, specialized sensory equipment, a tailored, enclosed reception area and a safer, quieter place for people to reset and refocus in the midst of busy Sunday mornings and overall more space to meet and move around in as we learn about the incredible love of Jesus Christ!
We believe one reason CSC has grown is because it looks after the vulnerable in its congregation. We help people with special needs realize that God has placed them here for a purpose. We don’t hide their disabilities. We encourage them to use what they can to serve the church and bring honour to the Lord. This ministry gives people hope.
Ray and Roberta Groff
Special Needs Ministry parents and long-time volunteers
It can be a very challenging journey for families. The generosity within this church has allowed for the finances to build the Special Needs Ministry, and it has made an enormous difference to families like ours. Our daughter has cerebral palsy, cognitive impairment and is blind…yet she is living life to the fullest. She goes to Bible studies, serves on missions trips and plays in the hand bell choir. This is truly God’s ministry.
Dorothy and John Cowling
parents of an adult with special needs
Thirty-years ago, when I first started volunteering with CSC’s Children’s Ministry, I would have never imagined the amazing journey that God had in store for the church, for me and for people with special needs. There just happened to be three children with special needs in my Children’s Ministry group and I also happened to have a background in special education. But I believe that was not happenstance… that is how God moves here! Today, I’ve worked with dozens of churches to help them set up a special needs ministry and I have learned that without the blessing and support of the senior pastor and senior leaders, the ministry will not go anywhere. The Special Needs Ministry at CSC has flourished because this church has a love for people with special needs and provides significant spiritual and financial support for the programs that draw them deeper into a life of belonging and meaning in Christ.
Jodi Graff
CSC’s first Special Needs Pastor
