Trinity Lutheran Church

SPECIAL NEEDS MINISTRY

Adult Special Needs Ministry

A Sunday morning program for individuals with disabilities was initiated at Trinity Lutheran Church in February of 1972. The approval of the Pastor and support of the congregation resulted in a successful experience for 10 young people. through the continued support of Trinity staff and members, we continue to provide a safe and loving place for individuals with a variety of cognitive and/or physical challenges to come every Sunday morning.

The major mission of the class has always been to share the good news of God’s love and care for each person, and to assure them that all those who believe in Jesus as their Savior receive the gift of eternal life with Him. The secondary mission is based on The Great Commission; go out into the world and make disciples of all nations.  We work towards this goal through worship, education, fellowship, service, and outreach.

Worship:  Most special needs students typically attend the 9:45 a.m. Contemporary Worship service followed by a special class for special needs students at 11:00 am

Education:  Sunday school begins after a light snack at 11 am. We begin with a Bible opening based on the Gospel reading for the day. This is followed by our music time with our choir master, pianist, and occasional guitarist. This is a special time of both education and worship through song for our students. We then have our Sunday school lesson. We use a variety of learning tools including videos, games, picture Bibles, crafts, and repetition. We have studied books of the Bible, The Lord’s Prayer, The Ten Commandments, and The Apostles’ Creed to name a few.

Fellowship:  We provide many opportunities throughout the year for Christian fellowship.  The annual Christmas Party, Bowling with Middle School, Kick-off Sunday picnic, and the Garden Party with high school youth are among the favorites. Check out our Special Needs Blog to keep up to date on these events.

Service:  Our students serve our congregation by their participation in the Special Needs Choir. Led by our Director of Music, they make a joyful noise unto the Lord!  We typically sing at both the Contemporary and Traditional Services on Christmas, Easter, and Rally Sunday. Some special needs students also serve as ushers at our worship services.

If you are interested in The Special Needs Ministry for someone you know, please call the church office at 270-4626.

“VIP” Kids Class

Our "VIP" kids class meets Sunday mornings at 9:45 am in Room 112. This class is structured to enable those students, ages 3 to 15, to learn to know and love the Lord through specially designed lessons and activities in an environment better-suited to meet their needs.

Buddy Break

Buddy Break is a respite program for families with special needs children ages three and up offered once a month on either Saturday mornings or Friday evenings. Click here to learn more about this caregiving ministry.

Parents are welcome to bring their children on the autism spectrum and siblings to a social group that will run concurrently. Parents are required to register their children for the social group at www.lfsva.org. See the parent's information flyer.

For more information or to register for this free workshop, call Taneika Goldman at 804.288.0122, ext. 228, or email tgoldman@lfsva.org. Lutheran Family Services offers foster care, adoption and community-based services, education for children with complex needs, services for older adults and those who are grieving, and developmental services for adults with disabilites. The Essential Pieces ministry is supported in part through a grant from the Lutheran Services of Children Endowment at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Foundation.