As she began to travel from home to home, the members saw a person with a disability who had many gifts and who was ministering to others. Now others like her are contributing to the body life of the congregation. Then, the Committee of Disabilities Ministry requested that pews in various parts of the sanctuary be shortened so that persons who used wheelchairs would have a choice of where they might sit with their families. Almost immediately they were filled every Sunday by members whose needs had not been met by the church. More spaces now need to be created due to the chain reaction taking place.
Visibility leads to understanding which leads to compassion which leads to more change.
Compassion always improves the quality of ministry to God's people. The attitude of compassion naturally filtered from members to other groups in the church. One is the Board of Ministry, the church's ruling board. As the board members make decisions for the ministries of the church they are acting more and more favorably toward requests by the Committee on Disabilities Ministry, such as the proposal to make the rest rooms totally accessible and to have a ramp built for access to the pulpit area. Senior Pastor Bruce Schipul recently agreed to having a second Disability Awareness Sunday, and made the point in his message that disability ministry would be the major ministry of the church.