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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