God’s Plan to Bring a JCM Program to a Community
Three years ago, Kylee Staebell heard about Jesus Cares Ministries (JCM) and since then has been working to bring a JCM program to her church.
In 2016, Pastor Joel Gaertner, National Director of JCM, led a Worship at the Cross service at St. Mark’s Lutheran School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The school selected JCM as its mission project for the semester. Kylee’s children attend the school.
Students and several parents attended that worship service, including Kylee with her youngest daughter, Avery, who is now four years old and has Down’s Syndrome.
“We appreciate all opportunities to share JCM because it can spark an interest in someone and lead us towards being better able to bring God’s Word into more communities and reach more individuals with special needs,” said Pastor Gaertner.
Worship at the Cross services, which are a part of JCM, are designed to make each part of a worship service special, especially for people with cognitive impairments.
“My first impression was that JCM is really good for kids because it brings the gospel down to a level of understandability especially for younger kids,” explained Kylee. “Then, I got to thinking about how it applies to people with disabilities, and I thought it could be a great outreach for these people.”
Kylee and her husband continued to work with the leadership at St. Mark’s to lay the foundation for the beginning of a program at their church. In the summer of 2019, a JCM consultant, Pastor Patrick Feldhus, led a Worship at the Cross service at St. Mark’s. This resulted in several congregation members expressing an interest to share their time and talents within the JCM program.
“Everybody on the committee is working according to their skills and God-given abilities. People aren’t doing things they are uncomfortable doing. They are working in an area they strive well in,” Kylee explained.
Currently, the JCM Bible Study at St. Mark’s meets every other month to allow the organizers to have more time for planning programs.
“We are not tying up loose ends on the day of a meeting. We’re prepared and ready for when those first participants walk through the door and everything runs smoothly,” said Kylee.
One benefit of the JCM programs is that each location customizes it and hosts it within a timeframe that makes sense for their specific area. Whether once a week, monthly, or every other month, the volunteers work to get the word out and engage the participants in sharing God’s never-end message of love.
“Having family members and congregation members engaged in the effort to bring a program to a community is vital for its success,” shared Mark Hayes, President of Ministry at TLHA. “JCM provides the tools and resources to congregations, but it depends on the people who have the heart for this ministry to grow and spread God’s message of love to those with special needs.”
During the last fiscal year, more than 3,000 individuals heard God’s word through our JCM programs. God is blessing this outreach effort, and we look forward to sharing the Gospel with more people with special needs! Support JCM at tlha.org/donate.