At New Life, we offer a fully inclusive ministry to support children with different abilities starting at 3 years old. We believe all children are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image and strive to meet children at their current level of need to show them the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
We offer two branches to our ministry, Elevate and Horizon. Elevate is a program designed to push into our New Life Kids Ministry with children who may need extra support to participate in kids’ ministry with a 1:1 buddy system.
Horizon is a separate ministry designed for children who need support to engage, play, transition between settings, either physically or mentally, in a church setting.
We offer a fully equipped sensory room to students to explore and play in a safe and comfortable environment. We have 1:1 paired buddies for each student, with skill and age-appropriate games and activities for each child to engage with similar peers and adults.
We then transition to our Command Center where we offer a fully adapted Bible focused curriculum which is 100% customizable and individualized for each child based on their needs.
If your family or you know of someone who would benefit from this ministry, we would love to serve them!
If you have any questions, are interested in your child participating in the Special needs Ministry or would like to serve on the Special Needs Ministry team, please reach out to Erin Nock at erin.nock@newlifexn.org.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
The New Life Special Needs Ministry is a brand-new ministry we are creating to launch in October 2024.
The Special Needs Ministry at New Life will have two branches. Elevate and Horizon. Elevate Ministry will work with children who need some assistance to participate in New Life Kids. With the assistance of 1:1 buddies, these children can participate to their full capacity with their peers. Horizon Ministry will be a more individualized ministry for children who need additional support to participate. This ministry will have 1:1 buddies with each child. Small groups or individual worship and lessons in a supported and sensory appeasing environment. Our goal of both ministries is to be as inclusive as possible while supporting children at their current level of need to learn about the love of Jesus.
The buddy system will be developed using trained team leaders with a specific individual in either branch of the Special Needs Ministry, Elevate or Horizon. The Special Needs Coordinator will pair team leaders with the best fit for each individual who would benefit from a buddy based on buddy interview, child and family interview and level of assistance needed to support each individual. The buddy partnership will be a continual weekly relationship, encouraging the buddy and individual to develop a lasting bond to further demonstrate the love of Jesus.
Looking to serve? Visit our Special Needs Ministry serving information page https://newlifexn.org/specialneeds/serve