ABLE

ACCESS | BELONG | LEARN | EQUIP

Ministry for Persons with Disabilities

Making a way for every person to belong

At Citizens Church, we believe that each person is made In the image of God. We desire to come alongside and support every individual to the best of our abilities. Because of our deep conviction and desire for those with disabilities to belong in our church, we created ABLE. ABLE stands for access, belong, learn, and equip.

ABLE provides ACCESS to the gospel, community and care; makes a way
for every person to BELONG; provides access to instruction so each person can LEARN in a way suited to his or her needs; and EQUIPS all people with the good news of a Savior who died for them, loves them and wants a relationship with them. People with disabilities are often left out and pushed to the side, and we want to come alongside people from all walks of life.

Our ABLE Ministry Supports Families in 3 Areas

Community - Connecting to others and to the community

Care - Supporting each person, highlighting their worth and value

Teaching - Sharing the gospel and providing access to the Bible

Our primary goal is to provide access to the gospel every weekend to every child within our ministry. During our weekend services, we provide one-on-one support and/or inclusion, depending on the needs of the child. We partner with parents to assess the level of care a family desires for their child as well as to determine physical/behavioral goals that the parents may have for their child (whether that be specifically at church or outside the church walls). We never want to distract from what a family is doing in the home but consider ourselves in a supporting role,
supporting both child and family.

LittleCity and KidCity

ABLE Kids is designed for children with disabilities from birth to fifth grade. However, we will never assign a buddy without parental consent and we will never initiate conversations about buddies. Buddies are only assigned after a parent has requested this extra support.

In ABLE Kids, we provide one-on one support for a child with disabilities that is tailored to their specific needs. Parents and staff will work together to devise a specific plan for each child in
order to serve them best.

Parents will be asked to pick a service time (either 9am or 11am) to consistently attend to provide consistency for both the child and the volunteer. Each volunteer will be assigned a child as a buddy. We strongly encourage each leader to serve on a weekly basis or whenever the child is at service, but when this is not possible, an additional volunteer will be assigned to serve as a buddy on the other weekends. For questions about ABLE Kids, please contact us.

Students

ABLE Students is designed for students with disabilities in grades 6 -12. The ABLE Students class meets during the 9 am service in Conference Room B. This is a time for age-appropriate discipleship for ourstudents with disabilities on Sunday morning! Volunteers are not assigned to be a buddy in the ABLE Students class; everyone hangs out together!

Our hope is to create a buddy system for Wednesday nights at UNITE for our students with disabilities.

Please contact us if you would be interested in serving weekly as a buddy at UNITE.

Adults

Adults with disabilities are always welcome in our Sunday worship services! In addition to worshiping with our church body on Sundays, we offer a class during the 11 am service called Strong and Kind! Our Strong and Kind class is for those 17 years and older. This class includes worship, Bible study, prayer, fun and friendship! Please join us this Sunday or contact us for more information.

Next Step for New Families

Contact Our ABLE Coordinator

Contact Rachel Martinez for more information.

Create a Plan

We want to provide the best care for your child. Individualized support varies widely based on need and what families desire. For example, one child’s plan may be as simple as taking a short break in the sensory room once during class, while another child’s plan may involve an individualized curriculum and hands-on support. We will tailor each child’s plan specifically to their needs.

All information shared with ABLE will be kept confidential and will only be shared with our church staff and volunteers who work directly with your child.

Come Worship with Us on Sundays

ABLE Kids (birth-5th grade) is available at the 9 am or 11 am service

ABLE Students (6th grade-12th grade) is available at the 9 am service

ABLE Adults is available at the 11 am service

Serve in our able ministry!

Questions about our ABLE Ministry?

We'd love to talk with you! Fill out this form and we'll get back to you.