Every Person Deserves a Chance to Hear the Gospel
Written by Jeff Holland
Three or four years ago, a man came to be Discipleship Pastor at my church. To make him feel welcome, I invited him to have lunch with me at Arby’s. As we talked and as he found out that I had two sons with special needs, he told me about a special ministry he had learned of in Ohio, where he had last lived. The ministry was called Capernaum, and it was an offshoot of Young Life. That Discipleship Pastor, Andre Rusch, has since become my pastor at The Church at Clayton Crossings.
People like Andre may not realize it, but they are “seed planters.” That seed dropped into our conversation made its way into my mind and heart. And it stayed there and germinated. And it germinated, and it germinated, and its shoots finally broke ground.
I reached out to Rachel Camarota (now Rachel Gardiner) and asked her if we might start an offshoot of First Priority for teens and special adults with special needs or disabilities. She met with the FP board, and they gave their approval.
We named ourselves First Priority RISE. It is Jesus who takes us by the hand and helps us rise to become all that he designed us to be. Psalm 37: 23, 24, declares, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”
At our meetings of First Priority RISE, we believe that every person deserves a chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we believe that God desires to see people with special needs be part of his family. We set up our meetings to include engaging activities: games, music, skits, a devotional focused on teaching those in attendance about God’s love and plan, a craft and snacks.
At this time, we are meeting every other month. We have a small team representing different churches in the county, all drawn together because of our desire to see the Gospel shared with people who are dear to the Father’s heart.