Guess who this is (and why it matters)

By Barb Stanley

This is a photo of my brother, Brian, who came to visit us a few weeks ago. Brian has autism and an intellectual disability and lives in a group home in West Virginia. He is also a Christ follower and the inspiration behind Wonderful Works Ministry. This is a photo of him worshipping at my church during his visit. Why this photo matters so much is twofold. First, Brian has very sensitive senses, which makes going to many churches, which are loud and flashy, really stressful for him. But when he came to our church, he fit right in. He was greeted by more people than I can count, hugged over and over again (and Brian is a hugger, so he was ecstatic about this), and because our church values embracing people who are neurodiverse, the worship was accessible for him. And so he got to worship the same way as everyone else. Which brings me to the second reason this photo matters so much.

In this photo you will see that Brian is raising his hands in worship. What is remarkable about this is that I had never seen him do that before. Growing up, we were raised in a church where people did not raise their hands in worship. It was a loving church, but reserved and quiet. So, raising his hands and leaning into worship was new for Brian. But what really made my heart swell was that I didn't have to wonder where the change had come from. I knew that over the past year, he had begun to sometimes visit a good friend's church back in West Virginia. Another church, which I have to assume must also embrace accessibility and adaptability. And it was here that Brian's faith began to blossom.

And why this matters so much is this. Disability ministry is not about churches doing kind things for people with disabilities. It is about being the kind of church that allows every person whom God loves (spoiler—that is everyone) the opportunity to grow in their faith and use their gifts for the Kingdom. It is about an autistic man raising his hands to his Savior, a sister whose heart is full, and an opportunity for there to be more photos like this one in the future.

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