Nourishing the body and soul
Being engaged with the local special needs community is a key aspect of a strong Jesus Cares Ministries (JCM) program. Connections with local organizations that serve individuals with special needs can help the program as well.
Grace Brown, the New Friends coordinator at Martin Lutheran College (MLC) in New Ulm, Minn., recently saw the benefit with a local organization connection. The MLC New Friends program offers college students the chance to have true and meaningful friendships with their peers with special needs through worship, education, and fellowship opportunities.
“Our program is more of a fun, fellowship, get-together event for individuals in our town who have special needs,” Grace explained.
The MLC New Friends program has a simple format. Individuals with special needs are invited for a meal on campus, followed by a craft or activity, a devotion, and a prayer. Thanks to a recent connection, the MLC New Friends program received a grant to cover the cost of meals for participants.
Grace also recently began to work with Adaptive Recreational Services (ARS,) a nonprofit organization that serves individuals with disabilities ages 15 and older. ARS allows individuals with disabilities opportunities that they normally would not have.
The ARS newsletter calendar features both the MLC New Friends program and the local Jesus Cares program held at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Working with the ARS community, Grace connected with a local organization who works within the special needs community. MRCI New Ulm works to create innovative and genuine opportunities for people with disabilities at home, at work, and in the community. The organization runs a local thrift store to raise funds for programs that support people with disabilities in the New Ulm area.
The MLC New Friends program recently received a grant from MRCI to offer free meals to program attendees. In the past, attendees would each pay a small fee for the meal. With meal costs increasing, Grace looked for ways to keep attendees having to pay more. MRIC provided a $1,200 grant to build a fund for meal costs.
“Seeing these partnerships with local organizations is wonderful,” explained Pastor Joel Gaertner, the national director of JCM. “Across our ministry, we have seen similar partnerships allowing us to expand JCM’s reach. Programs are thriving, as they think outside of the church walls to engage the community.”
Connections with both ARS and MRCI help the MLC New Friends program to reach more of its target audience.
“All three of us work closely together to give opportunities to people in the community,” explained Grace. “God works in mysterious ways, and he gave us a wonderful connection, and it’s hopefully going to build into a really strong relationship in the future.”
Grace, due to her work with the MLC New Friends program, was recently featured in a JCM webinar focused on
connecting with the local special needs community. Watch webinar now.