Bethel Life Worship Center

Hello. My name is Denise Bell and my husband and I pastor Bethel Life Worship Center in Greenville, Pa.
I am writing in regards to Key Ministry, who represented by Rebecca Hamilton, assisted our church in starting our respite program for families with kids with special needs, of which I am the director.

In our initial meeting with Rebecca I could immediately sense the passion behind the words that she spoke about these very special kids and their families. It was not about gaining anything but about setting our hearts at ease about taking on such an ambitious endeavor.

Ultimately we decided to proceed and Key Ministry agreed to send Rebecca to our church, at no cost, to do 2 training sessions to answer any questions that our congregation might have and to also talk about why this is important. She was very inspirational.

Key Ministry was instrumental in helping us get “Loving HANDS Ministry” started. They supplied us with paper work and specific examples of things that needed done before we could even get started. They were always available to answer questions and at times were willing to just listen, encourage and pray with me.

I can say with full confidence that the ease with which we started this ministry was in fact due to the direct, hands on assistance of Key Ministry.

We began Loving HANDS last September with 8 children and our attendance is now around 30 every month. We have about 110 volunteers who will tell you how they enjoy being a part of such a great outreach, helping to meet such a need in our community. One of the best things that has happened is I received a phone call from another area church wanting to meet with me about starting their own respite program. God is so good. God is using Key Ministry to challenge and inform churches of the importance of serving those who really have nothing to give in return.

They have made the investment of a lifetime is us and we are so appreciative of the time and effort that they have sown into us. God has blessed us and we pray God’s blessings upon Key Ministry.

In His Service,

Denise Bell
Director, Loving HANDS
Bethel Life Worship Center
www.blwc.org

Centre Pointe Christian Church

We chose to partner with Key Ministry to assist us in developing and launching a special needs ministry because of their passion to help churches be the church for every child and parent. They are passionate in every detail of helping establishing the ministry ranging from administrative policy and procedures; helping with development and training for staff and volunteers; providing personal coaching to assist you through the planning process; and offering terrific suggestions for creative space design. One key benefit for this ministry is their staff. They are passionate about their ministry, encouraging, and knowledgeable, creative, fun spirited and very helpful. The JAM Session (training for volunteers) is well prepared, well presented, and targeted nicely to the audience. Your volunteers will walk away feeling encouraged, prepared, and eager to be involved in the ministry.

Mandy Kylander
Associate Children’s Minister
Center Pointe Christian Church
www.centerpointechristian.org

Thru The Roof

Key ministry has been a very resourceful tool for me and my church to use when getting our respite ministry up and running. They have been great about coming and doing trainings as well as providing examples of paper work that we could use for our Thru the Roof Respite ministry at Cornerstone Church of God. The worker from Key ministry that we have had the most contact with is Harmony Hensley. Harmony has a great personality and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to explaining all the ins and outs of Key Ministry and how we could best implement our respite ministry at our church. Some of the trainings that Key ministry provides are things like what FREERESPITE is all about, trainings on how to work best work with individuals with behavioral issues, etc. These training have proven successful with my volunteers so that they can get better acquainted with how to best handle and work with individuals with disabilities. I remember how scared some of my volunteers were about helping but after just one hour long training session with Key ministry most of their worries were put to rest. As a special education teacher and mother of a child with special needs this organization has been a tremendous blessing to us and best of all it is FREE of charge. This organization is willing to travel to your church to help get your ministry for people with disabilities set up and then they stay involved with you to help you out in any way. I was so appreciative that Harmony not only did training for my volunteers but also showed up to help with our first respite event.

Sarah Sergent
Volunteer Leader – Thru the Roof Respite Ministry
Cornerstone Church of God
www.cornerstonecog.org

Two Rivers Church

Our church divinely stumbled into special needs ministry. After a lot of trial and error and weariness, we found Key Ministry. What a breath of life they have been to our ministry. When I called they jumped at the chanced to help us. Harmony Hensley drove all the way to Tennessee and showed us how to utilize our existing facilities to minister to kids with special needs. After that meeting we decided the best thing for us was to host a JAM Session.

WOW! It was just what we needed.

The entire Key Ministry Team was fun and very professional. They tailored their presentation to meet the needs of our church. It pumped life into our volunteers and gave us a stronger foundation to press ahead with our ministry.

The Key Ministry caring staff has always been ready and willing to help at a moment’s notice. I am so very grateful for everything they have done. They ARE a blessing from the Lord!

Susan Corkern
Kid Ministry Director
Two Rivers Church
www.tworiverschurch.org

Parent

What has FREE RESPITE meant for my family? It’s hard to put into words what so many take for granted to be able to do, Christmas shopping, an evening out with your spouse or friends, housecleaning, getting your taxes filed – just about anything that may require a few hours of your time.

When you have a child with special needs, in our case autism – life takes on many challenges. Who you leave your child with takes great thought and trust. Having a group of people you can trust to play with your child and know they are safe is of such value that I can’t begin to put a price on it.

What it has meant to my son is of even greater value. When he started attending the respite three years ago, he couldn’t handle being around the other kids. He needed to be in a quiet area. With each visit and with lots of love and care he’s now able to run around with all the other kids. It took time but the wonderful people who stuck with him helped him to be able to fully enjoy all the fun.

And here’s the best part – they weren’t professionals they’re just ordinary folks who gave of their time. They took the time to get to know us. If you are wondering if you can do this, don’t be intimidated by the label of “special needs”. It can mean a lot of different things. In the beginning my son needed someone he could cuddle with and two very special women were able to give him that. As he progressed and adapted he now gets along very well with a young college student who can run around with him.

Lana
Parent of a Child with Special Needs