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WHAT IS THE BUDDY PROGRAM?
Individualized 1-on-1 support for a child with a trained volunteer buddy to
provide optimal assistance for their needs while learning about God’s love for
them in a safe and inclusive environment
SENSORY ROOM
VISION:
• To be a community of believers that is radically devoted to Christ, irrevocably committed
to one another, and relentlessly dedicated to reaching those outside God’s family with the
Gospel of Christ.
• To be a community where everyone’s welcome, because nobody’s perfect, and anything’s
possible.
• A community where it’s OK to not be OK.
VALUES:
• Intimacy with God
• Authentic Relationships
• Life Transformation
• God’s Unique Design of People
• Sacrificial Living
• Community Impact
CROSS POINT CHURCH
• About 1 in 5 U.S. residents have a disability (Fenton Lee, 2016).
• There is currently no established kid’s special needs ministry or supports in place for
children with special needs and their families.
• There is not currently any training or education for volunteers working in the sensory
room and/or working with children with special needs.
• The Nashville campus currently has an established sensory room, but this is an area that
has been identified by my expert mentor to need improvements.
• There is a 13% gap that exists when comparing the participation rate of individuals with
and without disabilities within faith-based ministries (Barnes, 2012).
• Religious beliefs and supportive faith communities are important sources of support for
families raising a child with special needs (Pannone, 2017).
“My husband and I have been trying to become more active in church again now that
our child is about to turn 3. He has autism, which has defined nearly every aspect of
our life for the past 2.5 years. We are trying to find a church with a children’s church
program that may have individuals who have a little more experience with special
needs, and more specifically autism, so we may become involved on a more long term
basis and give him a church community to “grow up” with.”
- Crystal, mother of Ryman (3 years old)
IDENTIFIED NEEDS
• Meet the needs of families of children with disabilities and provide supports for them in
an inclusive environment to allow their children to fully participate with their peers
• Conduct focus group with kids volunteers who work with this population and families of
children with special needs to gain insight and collect feedback and ideas for the ministry
• Do research on best practices by reading books, articles, and visiting large churches with
established buddy programs
• Develop individualized family and child intake form and policies and procedures of the
buddy program for families and volunteers
• Develop and conduct a training session for volunteers to educate them on the buddy
program, best practices and helpful hints on working with children with disabilities
• Create a final binder on all aspects of the buddy program for sustainability
GOALS
OUTCOMES EVALUATION
Below are two bar graphs which represent questions that were asked to Cross Point Kids
volunteers in a pre (January 18, 2018; n = 21) and post (April 8, 2018; n = 28) survey with a
Likert scale to evaluate the special needs program at the beginning and end of my EC.
REFERENCES
Barnes, M. Alyssa (2012). Open hearts, open minds, open doors: Including children with special needs in ministry. Christian
Education Journal, 9(1), 81-100.
Fenton Lee, A. (2016). Leading a special needs ministry: A practical guide to including children & loving families. Nashville,
TN: B & H Publishing Group.
Pannone, S. (2017). One church’s response to welcoming all of God’s children. Journal of Disability & Religion, 21(3), 257-279.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Cross Point Church (Nashville, TN)
Allison Renner, The Vineyard (Springdale, OH)
Angie Kelley, Grace Chapel (Franklin, TN)
Bethany Orr, Crossroads Church – Oakley Campus (Cincinnati, OH)
Gigi Sanders, Christ Presbyterian Church (Nashville, TN)
Kristin Davis, Fellowship Bible Church – Brentwood Campus (Nashville, TN)
Rena Johnson, First Baptist Church (Hendersonville, TN)
Tawna Kreitzer, River’s Crossing (Mason, OH)
Faculty Mentors: Lorry Liotta-Kleinfeld, EdD, OTD, BCP, FAOTA & Tamara Lemmonds, EdD, MSOT, OTR/LExpert Mentor: Chris Swann, Kid’s Coordinator at Cross Point Church
Hope Lohmueller, OTD/S
Development of a Special Needs Buddy Program at Cross Point Church
PLAY
WORSHIP
BIBLE
STORY
ACTIVITY/
CRAFT
SNACK
PLAY
The sensory room
is primarily used
as a transition
room (at the
beginning or end
of service) and/or
as a room for a
child and their
buddy to take a
sensory break
during the service
if they get
overwhelmed as
our focus is on
INCLUSION
Q2) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1
being not welcoming to all and 10
being very welcoming), how
welcoming do you think Cross Point
is as a church to families and children
with special needs?
Q3) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1
being never and 10 being always),
how well do you think CP Kids
Ministry currently supports and
includes children with special needs
and their families?
The mean’s of both questions indicate
improvements in the supports for children with
special needs and their families at Cross Point
“This program truly has been an answer
to our prayers by giving us the best of all
worlds, not only for us as a couple, but
as an entire family.” - Crystal
8.39
9.18
7.65
8.85
DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOLLOWING:• Cross Point Kids Ministry Buddy Program
• Child and Family Profile Intake Form
• Policy & Procedure Form for Parents
• Short Profile Intake Form
• Parent Informational Brochure
• Volunteer Buddy Policy & Procedure Form
• Lunch and Learn Training Presentation
• Cross Point Kids Nashville Buddy Program
Volunteer Manual
• Visual Schedule for Preschool Classrooms
Belmont University, School of Occupational Therapy