Autism and The Harneds

My ‘Moment’ with you this week is from one of our church families. As they share in their email to me, this is Autism Awareness Month and they do a wonderful job of making us be aware of several things pertinent to our church as it relates to families dealing with autism. We have other families in our church who could share similar feelings for they too know of autism in very personal ways. Thanks to the Harneds and their willingness to allow me to share this with you. John Mollet

Pastor John,


We just wanted to make you aware of something that effects our son Stewart and our entire family everyday - Autism. April is Autism Awareness month so many in our congregation will more than likely see ads on television, in the paper, on the radio, etc spreading awareness of autism in the United States. Autism is everywhere, bursting from our schools and neighborhoods and playgrounds. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in every 110 children, and 1 in 70 boys, in the U.S. are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. But with numbers like this, shouldn’t our churches, of all places, be bursting with autism too? Certainly our pews are packed with families basking in the love and support of the church. Right?


Not exactly.

The truth is that most families with autistic children are not like us and can’t make it to the door of the church. So our churches don’t always see the need. Church, like the rest of life, just didn’t work. There are barriers, unspoken requirements, like sitting still and staying quiet and paying attention. But there isn’t a pause button for autism. Some parents with autistic kids fee that their children don’t seem to fit. Many families we stay home on Sunday mornings isolated from a loving church family.

We all know that God doesn’t have a stamped-out assembly line plan for anyone. But when desperate needs are in sight, God is not the kind of guy to wait around for his nonprofit status to come through or to complete his disability training. God wants us to be his hands, to reach out to the weak and disabled, right now.

We are so fortunate to have the love and support of many people in our church who are part of Stewart’s life. Stewart requires someone to be with him to help him participate in age appropriate activities during Sunday School. We are so blessed to have the support of the Bridge Kids staff, the volunteer teachers and one of the nursery workers, Jake Magargle, who is the shadow for Stewart during the Sunday School hour. This gives Carol and I the opportunity to attend our adult Sunday school class and to serve in other areas of the church.

During celebration service, Stewart enjoys the music and is not shy about letting his voice be heard. We try to keep a sucker nearby in case he starts to get too enthusiastic during announcements or prayers, however, like many autistic children, Stewie has a problem with volume control. We are concerned about being too much of a disturbance at times, but we feel that worshiping with us as part of the congregational family at Stonebridge is too important for Stewart to miss.

Many believe autism has reached epidemic proportions. We may need to build bigger schools to hold them all, but we don’t need bigger churches. When God reaches for his spiritual tool belt, he builds love and compassion in us. And when we let God grow our hearts, there’s room enough for everyone. We can only hope that others in our congregation will reach out to those families who are dealing with autism (or any special needs) so that they to can experience the love that God already feels for them.


Thanks,
The Harned Family; Kevin, Carol, Graham and Stewart