<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nThe joy that One Heart brings to the lives of those who attend is unmistakable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\nWithin two years, she had her associates degree in church ministry with an emphasis on disability ministry, and she was asked to come on staff at the church as the Disability Ministry Director, the “official” head of One Heart Disability Ministry.<\/span><\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\nFour years ago Cami married a young man who has a paraplegic brother and cousin with severe brain injury–and also a heart for the disabled and broken, much like Cami has. They have continued leading One Heart together with their combined compassion, love, and selflessness.<\/span><\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/a><\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\nIn addition to the weekly services that are held with over one hundred disabled attendees all throughout the school year, One Heart delivers gifts and goodies to up to three hundred disabled adults in the Fort Wayne are every Christmas, hosts a summer VBS, and has other special events throughout the year. <\/span><\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\nMy message today is not what kids can do when they are trained in so many skills (that would take a book–and I would love to write it!); nor is it about having kids serve in general (though that is a good idea too!). My message today is this:<\/span><\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\nTeaching our children to minister to “the least of these”–the widows, elderly, disabled, and orphaned–has the potential of having a bigger impact than almost any other ministry or service opportunity they could do.<\/i><\/b><\/span> <\/span><\/div>\n <\/i><\/b><\/span><\/div>\nWhy do you suppose this is the case?<\/span><\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\nIt is consistent with Scripture<\/b><\/i>–“do not only invite those who can invite you back”; “care for the widows and orphans”; and Jesus’ ministry to the blind, mentally challenged, poor, hungry, homeless, etc.<\/span><\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\nIt builds an empathy in our children that cannot be duplicated anywhere else.<\/b><\/i> Truly, we can tell them there are poor children who do not have enough to eat, but until they serve food to them in a summer ministry in the park, they cannot comprehend that. We can tell them that there are people whose brains do not work like ours do and they cannot do for themselves, but until they go week after week and listen to these people tell the same stories over and over or teach them to color or tell them about Jesus, they cannot FEEL the feelings that we should as Christians feel for those less fortunate than we.<\/span><\/div>\n |