What is Friends Ministry?
Welcome to our Friends Ministry, the special needs ministry at Fellowship Bible Church! This adaptive ministry is for individuals from birth to young adults with special needs; including any disability, medical challenge, developmental delay, or anyone that just needs a little extra TLC. We believe all our Friends were made in the image of God, and belong in the body of Christ, with God-given gifts, and the ability to have a meaningful relationship with Jesus. Understanding that everyone has different needs, we partner with families to create a plan to best serve our friends with special needs to be able to engage with the Word of God at their level, with adapted curriculum, sensory tools, and flexible seating options.
We also understand the importance of belonging and help foster meaningful relationships with their peers and leaders within the church. We have well-trained staff and volunteers that serve on Sunday and Wednesday nights as buddies, room coaches, leaders in our sensory rooms, and community group leaders for our adults. For more specific information on our programming for special needs children, students, and adults please click on the relevant option from the top menu.
If you are new to Fellowship or would like more information about our Friends Ministry, please reach out to our Special Needs Coordinator, Amber Krause. Please also reach out if you are planning a visit so we can prepare to welcome your family member on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights.
We realize that along with the joys that having a family member with special needs can bring, there are also unique challenges. We strongly believe the church can be a source of support through many avenues, including our Special Needs Parent coffees, our Parent’s Night Out events, that are free for all of your children, and access to our Care Ministry at Fellowship. For more information about any of these please reach out to Amber Krause.
FellowshipKIDS Friends
Our Friends Ministry, in FellowshipKids, offers programming for children with special needs from birth-fifth grade. We offer a hybrid approach to Sunday mornings, knowing that inclusion does not look the same for each child. Some of our friends with special needs have a buddy attend class with them, and some of our friends join us in our sensory rooms where we provide adaptive Bible stories and additional supports when the typical classroom is too overwhelming. Also, many of our friends thrive in our classrooms with minimal supports, thanks to our well-trained FellowshipKids volunteers and open communication between parents, volunteers, and the Special Needs Coordinator.
Our sensory rooms are equipped with flexible seating, large and fine motor sensory tools, a sensory swing, foam pits, and climbing gym. We also have a “Calming Cave”, equipped with a bubble tube and sensory tools, that all kids have the option to visit when they need a few minutes to calm their nervous systems.
We have programming available during both services at 9:15 and 11:00 for our friends in FellowshipKids. To best prepare for your child’s visit please use the link below to let us know how we can best welcome your child.
Student Ministry Friends
Our Friends Ministry, for students with special needs in middle and high school, offers multiple ways to engage in Student Ministries at Fellowship. We have the option of a buddy to help your student participate and engage during the worship time, and then in their small group. We also have a sensory room option, just for our friends in Student Ministry, where our Student Ministry Friend group meets each Sunday. They enjoy the quieter space, adapted Bible lesson, and time to fellowship with their friends. This is a flexible group where a few students may attend worship in the Student Ministry auditorium and then return to the group for the lesson, while others, spend the entire service in the sensory room.
This group meets during the 11:00 AM service on Sunday mornings. In order to best welcome your student with special needs, please click here to contact our Special Needs Coordinator before your visit.
We encourage you to check out the Student Ministry page to see what is happening in Students at Fellowship.
Fellowship Friends Group
Our Fellowship Friends group is our Sunday morning community group for young adults with special needs. This group meets for the 11:00 AM Sunday service. The group meets in the classroom and then walks to the sanctuary together for praise and worship time. Afterward, they return to the classroom for a time of fellowship, an adapted Bible lesson, and a service project. We know that all of God’s children have been given spiritual gifts and can serve somewhere in the body of Christ, no matter what level or ability, physically or cognitively, they may be at. We encourage our group members to use their gifts around the church, and the church has been deeply blessed by their contributions.
You may also see many of our friends from middle school to adult serving on the greeter team, in our preschool classes as a volunteer with FellowshipKids, and working as the media specialist in our Student Ministry Friends room and Wednesday Night Friends room. Our Fellowship Friends group also meets for social gatherings periodically, throughout the year. For more information, please contact our Special Needs Coordinator, Amber Krause.
Wednesday Night Friends
We are so excited to offer a small group for our Middle School students to Young Adults with special needs on Wednesday nights. We have trained staff and volunteers ready to engage our friends with fun games, crafts, videos, and fellowship. This group meets in the Student Ministry Friends Room during Wednesday Night programming at the church from 6:30-8:00 PM.
For more information, use the link below to contact our Special Needs Coordinator, Amber Krause.