Spiritual Inclusion
By Rev Ming Yee Ng
June 4, 2023
At the end of April this year, seven or eight young brothers and sisters from the Mainland came to Hong Kong during the May 1 holidays. They visited various special education institutions to observe and learn, and they attended NPAC’s meetings and worship services on Saturday and Sunday. These brothers and sisters have been looking after children with special needs for some time. Besides teaching the children knowledge, they also helped the children learn to take care of themselves in daily life. I listened to them attentively. I could feel their passion for serving, their meticulous thoughts and rich creativity. Despite limited resources, they have tapped into their boundless imagination to let the children have different experiences. God has put in their faith community a heart of love for children with special needs in the hope that every child could grow up in love.
The Saturday afternoon of their visit happened to be a special joint meeting of the fellowships of the Disability Ministry. A visually impaired pastor and several visually impaired young adults led praise. The message through the pastor was powerful. The visitors were moved by the meeting. They saw many brothers and sisters with different disabilities, along with their families and servers, singing praises to the Lord and united in spirit. What a beautiful picture it was!
Serving children with special needs and brothers and sisters with physical disabilities is no simple task. Servers need to learn much, not only methods or skills but also their hearts need to be prepared even more. They learn to listen, get to know, understand and respect one another. Thanks be to God! He has entrusted NPAC to serve the disabled many years ago. I firmly believe that this has not only made it possible for brothers and sisters with disabilities to experience the love of God, learn the truth and grow up in love but it has also allowed the servers grow tremendously, always seeing the wondrous grace and glory of God!
Due to the pandemic, I have not visited the Mainland for more than three years. Instead, I started taking part in serving the Little Seeds Sunday School last year. It was a brand new learning experience for me. I could feel the love of the teachers for the children. One teacher has shared that she wanted to take the opportunity to serve to let the children with special needs know Jesus from childhood. The Lord Jesus will be their best friend and their lifelong blessing. Thank the Lord for giving us so many ministry partners so that we can learn from each other and testify the Lord’s glory and beauty among the children.
Today, the work of the Holy Spirit among children with special needs is amazing. Many brothers and sisters among believers on the Mainland are already caring for this community that seems to be marginalized, giving the parents of children with special needs breathing space. May the children experience richer love through us, that spiritual inclusion is nurtured.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)