Rochelle Beckemeyer - The Glory of Kings: An Invitation to Special Needs Pastoring

The Glory of Kings

An Invitation to Special Needs Pastoring

By Rochelle Beckemeyer

The Glory of Kings: An Invitation to Special Needs Pastoring

Trilogy Christian Publishers a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright 2022 by Rochelle Beckemeyer

This work includes stories depicting real events in the life of the author and the congregation she serves. All persons described are actual individuals, though the names of some have been changed to respect their privacy.

Scripture quotations marked nasb are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

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Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

B-ISBN#: 978-1-68556-042-3

E-ISBN#: 978-1-68556-043-0

Acknowledgements

Thanks to my pastoral coach, Dave Jacobs from Small Church Pastor; Daves encouragement and ideas have helped our ministry to become what it is, and without his cajoling and coaxing, I would not have even considered moving forward with writing a book!

Thanks to Pastor Kevin Carpenter; his leadership and pastoral care during the coffee shop days were just what they needed to be to prepare me for this marvelous work.

Thanks to my mom and dad, whose unwavering love and support are felt not only by me but by all in the congregation; they are Mom and Dad to us all, helping to make Echo a true family!

Thanks to each and every one of those mentioned in these pages; without their courage to embrace who God made them to be, there wouldnt be anything for me to write. Special thanks to Michelle (you know who you are) whose steadfast encouragement has been a great blessing, and whose suggestion to consider Trilogy Publishing got this ball rolling. Special thanks also to Lila whose great faith and courage challenges me to keep going.

Thanks also to those who have supported and encouraged this work along the way: Regie Holloway, John and Sheila Belkowski, Toni Ufolla, Penny Shults, Michele Smither, Melissa Carpenter, Jim and Lori Greco, Roger Steed, Rob Longo, Mary Makarewicz, and the saints at LakePoint Community Church and Auburn Hills Christian Center, and of course, my Schmoopie, the best daughter in the world!

Finally, above all and over all, merci Jesus for Your great, great love, for Your passion for this little flock, and for letting us catch a glimpse of the glorious treasure Your Spirit has planted in each and every one of Your people.

Foreword

Recently, our culture has started the process of recognizing and responding to marginalized people groups. One such group that is still low on the list are those described as special needs adults, or people with mental or physical limitations. This neglect is seen not only in the secular world but also in the church world. Reaching and accommodating these special children of God means more than simply installing a wheelchair ramp for ones church building.

How can we make special needs people truly feel welcomed, valued, and included in our churches?

Pastor and author Rochelle Beckemeyer is one of the few voices who can speak from years of fruitful experience in leading a church made up predominantly by people living with emotional and physical limitations. This is her story and the story of her special people. It is my expectation that this short book will be a source of inspiration and motivation for many churches to begin asking how they can get better at embracing this large segment of society.

Dave Jacobs, Author and Leadership Coach

Rochelle and Echo Christian Fellowship serve a segment of the population that is often overlooked and under-served. The blessings and honesty that this congregation brings to all who know them is captured in her book. The stories made me smile.

Michele Smither, Dutton Farm Co-Founder

Introduction

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,

But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

Proverbs 25:2

Once upon a time, I served under the leadership of a pastor whose passion for the Word of God inspired us to spend hours digging for Gods buried treasures in Scripture, especially in what seemed like obscure passages. With Proverbs 25:2 as our banner, we would revel in the glory of the chase, searching out matter after matter. Huddled around our Bibles and laptops at a local coffee shop, we would hunt for as long as it took to be satisfied with some application, some revelation, some practical knowledge of our awesome God. Oh, those were the days! I have often wondered whatever happened to having all that time for study. Now that Im also serving as a bivocational senior pastor, I still study devotionally and for sermons, but I just dont seem to devote as much time to it as in the past.

I recently realized, however, that my hunting days are far from over. I have still been seeking and finding Gods glory in His Word, but more and more I have been finding great treasure hidden right where the Apostle Paul said wed find it: within the earthen vessels around us (2 Corinthians 4:7). By this, of course, I mean people, and just as we used to search out seemingly obscure passages of Scripture, I have taken particular delight in searching out marginalized people, hunting in a field that seems to others to be barren, empty, or just too difficult and unyielding. What treasure hunter worth his salt, though, doesnt get excited to discover areas where no one else has been looking? Who wouldnt be willing to get their hands (and knees, elbows, clothing, and interior of their car) dirty to dig in such a field? Who wouldnt be willing to maybe break a few fingernails and endure a few frustrations and humiliations at the prospect of uncovering great and glorious treasure that might have otherwise been missed?

Well maybe not everyone is that hungry for a good treasure hunt, and thats okay! If you are up for the challenge, though, allow me to suggest a field like mine, where theres a lot of room to dig and a great deal of value to be uncovered. The field Im talking about is known as special needs ministry, including those with brain disorders referred to as mental illnesses.

In this book, I invite you to experience some fairly typical real-life ministry among our people who live with various disabilities. Each chapter describes moments in a given day along with observations and lessons learned. There are five weekdays highlighting the glory Ive been fortunate to see in various individuals, followed by a weekend containing a church service and a day of rest (because self-care is crucial!). In the final chapter, I provide some ideas you might find helpful for starting or enhancing your own ministry.