SANDUSKY, Ohio—A student group from Calvary Baptist Church completed a weeklong service opportunity at Shepherds Ministries, Union Grove, Wis. A team of 13 students and adults spent five days experiencing the ministry firsthand, as each was paired with a Shepherds friend (one of the residents) to shadow each day for the week. Shepherds provides compassionate Christian care, vocational education, and job opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities.
Many times throughout the week the teens and adults observed that even though they had come to be a blessing, they found themselves being blessed by the ones they came to serve. One of the teens commented that the only change she would make to the trip is that it could last two weeks instead of just one.
A ministry trip to Shepherds includes orientation and training, as well as an opportunity to lead the weekly chapel services. The most powerful aspect, however, is a focused connection to the residents. Whereas in the past, volunteers rotated through various areas and aspects of ministry at Shepherds, a new approach to the week connects each volunteer with a resident for the week. This connection helped form deeper relationships that caused each volunteer to understand the ministry better, and to come away with a significant appreciation for ministry to people with disabilities, as the participants worked with, played with, ate with, and hung out with their Shepherds Friends.
The group grew to understand more clearly the love God has for every human being, in spite of the different characteristics and abilities He has given to each of us. Several participants even inquired about summer-long ministry experiences at Shepherds.
