Carrying Out the Great Commission on Respite Nights

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

All families need rest to thrive. But for families living with disability, opportunities for rest can be scarce. Just ask Chad and Karen, parents of six-year-old Claire and nine-year-old Eli, who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Caring for the ongoing daily needs of their children, Chad and Karen struggle to prioritize their marriage and find rest.

A Place for Rest

Partnering with churches like Forest Hill Church in North Carolina, Joni and Friends offers regular respite nights for families navigating disability. Like Joni and Friends, the church sees a direct connection between the Great Commission and caring for families like Chad and Karen’s—an opportunity to serve out of love for God.

“[Providing respite] allows us to intentionally connect people with disabilities to a dynamic life in Christ,” said Christina, Forest Hill’s Disability Inclusion Director.

Families are able to trust the church to care for their children because of the one-on-one support provided. As Chad and Karen said, “It is easy for us to let them be because you can tell the volunteers are very loving and caring.”

Benefits for the Whole Family

“[Respite] helps us nurture our marriage and spend time together…time together that we aren’t normally able to prioritize,” said Chad and Karen.

Respite allows parents to foster healthy marriages, which in turn leads them to better support their children. Parents can avoid burnout when they have time to care for their own physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Kids love respite nights too! Eli loves being around people and at respite night, he is surrounded by friends who understand him. And Claire has fun playing with the other kids, finding support as a typical sibling. Chad and Karen shared:

“Eli loves being able to come here to see people in a wheelchair like him because that lets him know he is not the only one like that… It is also great for our daughter to know there are other families that are just like our family.”

A Growing Ministry

Disability ministry and Christ-centered respite programs do not exist at every church… yet! That’s why Joni and Friends works to equip churches to better serve families living with disability. And when a church catches the vision of Joni and Friends: to create a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ, God moves in powerful ways.

“We are praying, we are encouraging each other, and we are sharing resources so that we can all grow in our understanding of what it looks like to love and care and serve people with disabilities in our churches,” said Christina.