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Rest Ministries, founded in 1997, is the largest Christian organization that serves the chronically ill. They recently did a survey and asked people to "List some of the programs or resources a church could offer to make it more inviting comfortable." Below is a sampling of some of the 800+ responses, all of which could be done in 20 minutes or less. 1. Encouragement emails. 2. Make sure the handicapped stalls in the bathroom are functioning and clean. 3. Padded chairs or cushions, room for wheelchairs, and plenty of room for my family to sit with me. 4. Have an open mind about a support group for the chronically ill like HopeKeepers. It would make me feel very special that there was an understanding of people's needs that are not always visible. 5. More handicapped parking. 6. Inform the ushers that people arriving late may have difficulty walking or getting out of cars and may need some assistance. 7. Have a couple of people who could call chronically ill folks and check on them when they can't make it to church. 8. When suppers are given, I need help getting my meal or at least understanding from others that I won't be able to wait in a long line. 9. Be cautious when giving people big hugs. It can topple over or hurt the person. 10. Video tape of the service for DVD, don't just do a live web cast. My computer doesn't work that well. 11. Check out the church doors and see if someone with an illness can open them with ease. If not, install a mechanical button to push them open. 12. Please don't tell me that if I really believed and had faith I would be healed by now. And don't insist how wonderful I look, because I know for a fact that I look terrible and miserable that day. 13. Offer me ways to serve within the church that can be performed regularly, but not on a set schedule. I really want to contribute, but I need some flexibility so that I can do a job when I feel well enough. 14. Make the sermon notes available to download and print out so I can listen later or even just review what I didn't catch the first time. 15. Acknowledge National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week. Rest Ministries has a nice book list of top 100 Christian books for the chronically ill. It would make a nice display in our bookstore that week. 16. Just mention chronic illness occasionally! Don't forget to talk about it in sermons as one of the challenges many people face just like unemployment or divorce. 17. Have Christian volunteers from church that will clean house for small fee. Some have offered to clean my house, but I cannot accept charity yet, but neither can I afford to pay a regular house cleaning service. 18. Have the church help with some of the small costs of providing encouraging books and resources for the church library. The chronically ill often cannot afford all that they'd like to read and will check them out. 19. Remember how many caregivers are in the church, not just caregiving for their parents, but also for their spouses or ill children. 20. Have copies of sermon for free on CD or computer.
Article Source: http://www.articlegush.com
Get a free download of 200 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend from "Beyond Casseroles" by Lisa Copen, just subscribe to HopeNotes invisible illness ezine at Rest Ministries. Lisa founded of Invisible Illness Week
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