DISABILITY
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Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person . The Spirit gives this to each one to help others . [ 1 Corinthians 12:7 ]
A new WAVE Church group in Little Ilford started last year . But WAVE Church has sprouted other initiatives too : WAVE Club began as a social group for young adults with and without LD , and for those of any faith or none , and has grown into WAVE Café ( a pop-up arts café ) in Muswell Hill .
Unexpected blessings have rippled beyond learning disability connections . Sue ( not her real name ) first started coming to WAVE Church because she was losing her voice through throat cancer . She missed being able to join in with the singing at her regular church but was able to participate in worship using Makaton at WAVE Church . Sue discovered that she loved signing and started to lead this for us . She went on to introduce signing to her main church where it has become a regular part of their services , with everyone benefitting from the deeper engagement in worship that Makaton signing evokes . 2
We are not alone in wanting to encourage and enable other communities to experience the blessing of mixed ability worship , and to this end WAVE for Change ( a charity that has emerged out of this work ) has developed WAVE in a Box . This resource provides practical guidelines and templates so that others can do something similar . We have also worked with a Makaton Ambassador to create an accessible resource for teaching about the fruit of the Spirit .
‘ For I know the plans I have for you ,’ declares the LORD , ‘ plans to prosper you and not to harm you , plans to give you hope and a future .’ [ Jeremiah 29:11 ]
We have faced challenges and doubts over the years as to ‘ if ’, ‘ how ’ and ‘ where ’ the work of WAVE sits in the wider church . Thankfully , there is a growing recognition that we don ’ t need to necessarily ‘ fit ’ traditional models . Dr Seuss put it beautifully : ‘ why fit in when you were born to stand out ’!
We have discovered how God could actually use our tough experiences of being parents / carers of a child with special needs to bear good fruit . I had a lovely picture of God using all the tears we have shed as parents – tears of sorrow and frustration – to build a well of experience that others have come to benefit from and be refreshed by at WAVE Church . Sometimes our purpose comes from our greatest hurt and we are truly alive when we find the thing bigger than us that God wants us to do .
Bernice Hardie
Bernice is Co-Founder of WAVE for Change , an awardwinning charity that uses the experience gained from starting inclusive church and social groups in North London , to help other communities to mix . ( All photos ©️ WAVE Church .)
A Wave Church gathering .