Faithful Friends Special Needs Ministry @ TCBC

“...this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” John 9:3b                                                               

Mission: To reach individuals with disabilities and their families and help them mature their relationship with Christ, and to send them out into the church and world to serve and impact others.

Overall Goal: To make sure each individual with disabilities is a successful and participating member of the TCBC family and has the opportunity to experience the love of Jesus and the message of the Gospel.

TCBC Kids Ministry welcomes each and every child in the name of Jesus.
We know that each child is precious in God’s eyes and are uniquely formed by Him. Some children face special challenges which prevents them from fully participating in all the classroom activities. The challenges may be physical, mental or emotional but our desire is that each child be allowed to participate as best they are able even if it requires they have a “faithful friend” to assist them.

What is a Faithful Friend?
A Faithful Friend will serve as a ‘buddy’ each Sunday when the child is in class. The Faithful Friend will be specifically trained and paired with an individual child if that is determined to be the best way to help. It might mean providing physical assistance, special attention, being a partner for an activity, teaching the child a customized version of the lesson that day or simply discussing the spiritual truths on a level and in a manner the child can grasp.

In Luke 5:17-20, some friends heard that Jesus was teaching nearby. Their friend was paralyzed and couldn’t go hear Jesus. The friends took their friend to Jesus but found the house too crowded, so they cut a hole in the roof and let their friend down into the room through the hole. There the man lay right in front of Jesus. Jesus forgave his sins and healed him to the amazement of the crowd. The paralytic knew the power of Jesus in his life because his ‘faithful friends’ believed and brought him to Jesus.

TCBC Faithful Friends will serve our special needs children by faith and bring them to Jesus on Sunday mornings so that these children will have the opportunity to know the power of Jesus in their individual lives.

How do families access the service provided by a Faithful Friend?
Emily Tira is the Team Leader for the Faithful Friends Ministry. She will meet with the parents of any special needs child and evaluate the child so that an appropriate plan can be made for the child and an appropriate Faithful Friend be assigned to the child. She will also do the training of the Faithful Friends and oversee curriculum customization for each child. Only Kay Miller and Emily Tira will have access to any confidential information that may be supplied, unless permission is granted by the parent. If you believe your child would benefit by having a Faithful Friend, you can contact Kay Miller at kmiller@tcbc.cc or #217-344-0641.

How do I become a Faithful Friend?
If you are interested in learning more about how you can be a “Faithful Friend” to a special needs child, you are invited to contact Kay Miller at kmiller@tcbc.cc or #217-344-0641 and she will guide you through the application process. You do not need to be a special education major or physical therapist. You only need to have a ‘heart’ for special needs kids and a willingness to learn. Once you have successfully completed the application and training process, your name will be placed on a list until a matching child is found. You may download and print a Faithful Friend application to begin the process. You will also need to complete a children's ministry general application which you can download and print.