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Donations
Few things test our faith more than joyful giving. Matthew 6:21 tells us that where our treasures are, our heart will be also. Jesus also said in Matthew 22:37-39 that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Your giving will assist us in reaching thousands of churches to ....
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A Call To Church Leadership
Calling all churches to discipleship and ministry.
This downloadable eBook is a "free" gift to church leadership and pastors from God’s Special Angels Ministries. This book will answer many initial questions regarding establishing a Special Needs Ministry in your church. Coming soon! Click below to get your copy now!
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Ephesians 4:11-12 (NASB) - (11) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
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Hello! My name is Lonnie Richardson, the founder of God’s Special Angels Ministries, and I would like to share some insight and address some questions with you in regards to the growth of your church and the spiritual growth and service of your church members. I know how very busy you are in maintaining and improving services in your church so I will be as brief as possible.
God’s Special Angels Ministries is an evangelistic ministry dedicated to seeing churches and individuals revived, spiritual discipleship and growth, and outreach. Our concerns are two fold. First we pray that those in the church grow in spiritual maturity and discipline through discipleship. This prepares individuals to serve in aspects of God’s great plan and see His will fulfilled. Also, it strengthens the church from within and unity is achieved. Thus, we believe that solid foundations for ministry can be built for God’s glory and effective outreach can be realized.
Our second concern is in regards to the special needs individual and their families. How many special needs individuals and families does your church serve? If the church serves special needs families, is the ministry as effective as it could be? Often times we think that our ministries are “good enough” but I’m afraid that “good enough” is never good enough. Whether it be a children’s ministry or a youth ministry, or a special needs ministry we should all be striving for improvement. God deserves our best and we should be aiming for excellence in all that we do.
Unless you have been exposed to special needs individuals and their families, it is difficult to know how to approach them much less serve them in ministry. You must know that these parents have had to defend their loved ones from a society that seems to enjoy laughing at the misfortune of others. Once that fact is understood, it is not difficult to understand that their sensitivities are tremendously magnified. Wait a moment, I’m afraid that I am getting ahead of myself.
First we must realize that these special needs children and adults are not “abnormal” or “weird”, or that something is “wrong” with them. Psalms 139:13-16 tells us, 13. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. 14. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
Each and every special needs individual was divinely crafted by God’s own hand. They are not accidents. They are not mistakes. “Oops” is not in God’s vocabulary. They have a purpose and they have significance. Because their mental faculties are supposedly “in deficit” they will never clearly understand the abstract concept of salvation as we know it. God has made provisions for them. They are truly God’s Special Angels and are closer to God than you or I will ever hope to be.
What is even more important is that we understand why God has seen it necessary to have special needs individuals among us. John 9:1-5 states, 1. As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" 3. Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4. "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5. "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world."
Jesus said that the special needs are here among us so that the great works of God might be displayed. Is it necessarily meant that they will all be healed miraculously? No, I don’t believe so. In Jesus’ time, He healed so that people would see and have faith. Today, we have God’s Word, the Holy Bible, from which to draw faith. I’m not saying that God could not divinely heal each and every special needs individual on the face of the planet. God can do precisely that and then some. However, being the parent of a daughter who is a high functioning autistic, I doubt that God intends to perform such a miraculous wonder. Why? Because He is increasing the fields of harvest. In 1980, one out of a thousand births rendered an autistic child. In the year 2000 the ratio has shriveled to one out of five hundred births producing an autistic child. The frequency has doubled in just twenty years.
Jesus also states that we are to do the work of “Him who sent me”. That work involves a special needs ministry.
So what great works of God are to be displayed through our special needs children and adults? Well, God has shown me a great multitude of pastors, evangelists, missionaries, teachers, and servants that will arise out of these special needs families. When I say multitudes I mean stadium overflowing multitudes several times over. That would be a tremendous work of God. But how will it happen if the church does not reach out and learn how to reach out effectively. It won’t happen! To see entire families come to know Christ would have been enough to satisfy me but God has a greater purpose for these families. God will use these families to bring millions to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
When the church submits to discipleship and discipline to grow spiritually so that a closer relationship may be experienced as individuals and as a church, I would think that would be a great work of God. The church is spiritually strengthened from within which prepares for out reach and promotes unity within the church. As it is with God, every one wins.
Dearest pastors and church leadership members, do you have the knowledge and training necessary to teach your church how to minister to the special needs? Does your church overflow with servants who will wear out before they sit in a pew and rust out? Are you aware of the vast numbers of special needs families who are not involved in the local church? Are you aware that there are legal and medical issues involved when ministering to the special needs and their families? Are you certain that your church is aptly prepared to be aware and avoid crossing lines of sensitivity that these families will not tolerate being crossed? Are you aware that if those lines are crossed that you will, more than likely, never see that family again? Or worse yet, turn them completely against the church and God?
These are issues that can be resolved. God knows that these issues exist and that is why God called me to found God’s Special Angels Ministries. We CAN and WILL help you with ALL of those issues and the MANY MORE that exist.
A special needs ministry is a wonderful and exciting ministry. Explosive church growth can be achieved. In my first “God’s Special Angels” ministry, the special needs classes grew 400% in the first thirty days!
I prayerfully and respectfully request that you download our free gift, “A Call to Church Leadership” and read it very carefully. Within, you will find answers to many questions in regards to what a special needs ministry is and is not. Additionally, you may browse over the remainder of our web site to see the other materials and services that we offer to assist you in establishing and maintaining a special needs ministry that will have a great spiritual impact upon your church community.
Lonnie Richardson, God’s Special Angels Ministries.
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