The mother of a child with a “hidden disability” (the kind that you can’t see by looking – emotional, psychological, developmental delays) expressed sadness that she can’t take her child to church because the congregation doesn't understand the child’s behaviors. Her child can’t go to Sunday School because she doesn’t function on grade level academically with the other children and has some less-than-acceptable behaviors. And there's just no place for her at church.

Several other moms emailed to support this mom and relate similar heart-breaking stories. A few had found loving, accepting church families. A few others had found churches with actual special needs ministries where there were classes for the children and support systems for the families. One mom posted about a ministry called Key Ministry Foundation (their motto is “A Church for Every Child”.)

I was moved by what I read on this website (tears-in-the-eyes moved). The entire purpose of this ministry is to empower churches to minister to families of children with “hidden disabilities”. They define hidden disabilities as:

Hidden disabilities are serious emotional or behavioral disorders or significant developmental disabilities that impact upon a child’s ability to engage in age-appropriate tasks and activities.

Exactly what this mom was talking about!!! I was moved because as much as I LOVE our church family and as many times as the individual members support us in a one-on-one way and through their continual prayer, our church does not have an active way of supporting LuLu’s hidden disabilities or the hidden disabilities of other children. For example…LuLu doesn’t have a Sunday School class. She doesn’t fit. We have tried going in the past – both with and without one of us there as an “aide”. It has sometimes been just uncomfortable and other times been completely disastrous. Rather than let it become a complete “turn off” for her, it has been better for us to skip Sunday School. Yet I wish it didn’t have to be that way. I wish her spiritual education (just like her academic education right now) wasn't totally in my hands.

Dr. Steven Grcevich is the President of this ministry’s board and a licensed psychiatrist. His explanation of the purpose of this ministry made my heart leap. He cites the following experience from his private practice:

I’ve also seen at the same time (often accompanied by loving Christian foster parents and adoptive parents) the devastating effects of trauma, abuse and neglect in kids passing through my clinics and my practice. At those times, I wished more congregations were able to offer the support of a loving church family to parents seeking to fulfill their call to model the love of Christ to children who may have been exposed to multigenerational cycles of abuse and neglect.

Wow! Did this make me sit up and take notice! Here’s a doctor who has seen what many of the families I know are living. And he and others in his church community are actively doing something about it. The website cites some sobering statistics that as many as 80% of marriages where a child has hidden disabilities end in divorce because of the emotional and financial strain. And that 12-20% of all children and adolescents have mental disorders severe enough to require professional intervention.

And Key Ministry Foundation is challenging congregations to develop ministries to meet the needs of these families. I can’t think of a nobler calling!