“We love, because He first loved us.”
(I John 4:19)
South Highland’s Sunday Club is a ministry for “special needs” adults in our community: folks with mental or physical handicaps who want to feel like they belong and are loved. It’s fellowship...it’s a shared meal...it’s activities...it’s family...it’s so much more.
A DAY AT SUNDAY CLUB
It is a hot Sunday afternoon, and the Sunday Club members feel the cool relief of the air-conditioned hall as they begin arriving around two o’clock. They are thirty minutes early, but they know they are welcome to come in, have iced tea or coffee, visit or just sit quietly. Some are in their teens; some are elderly; many are in-between. Clean, well dressed or shabbily attired; men and women; black and white. . . they go to their favorite sitting places.
For the most part the hall is rather quiet, but as volunteers arrive and ask “How was your week?” or “How are you?” and share smiles and hugs, things begin to become livelier. Sunday Club members are here because they know we care, and they know this is a safe place where they are loved and accepted.
The routine today is simple - structured the same every week, but with flexibility and variety enough to maintain interest. They make a circle, hold hands, hear announcements, share prayer concerns and give thanks for food. They enjoy a free meal - delicious, attractive, well-balanced, prepared and presented with grace. A variety of activities, programs and singing follows.
Every Sunday the name of a “special person” is drawn. Mary, the “special person” today comes enthusiastically to the table and makes a selection from among many small gifts (health care items, socks, cosmetics, jewelry) donated by church members. Proudly, she brings her gift item to the front and shows the group what she has chosen. Strains of For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow ring out to the accompaniment of claps and cheers. Afterward, Mary poses for a picture which will be displayed on the bulletin board. Birthdays and special occasions are also causes for celebration!
At 4:30, following a closing circle and the singing of Amazing Grace, everyone leaves feeling they have had a good afternoon at their club.
On
August 12, 1986, a Task Force appointed by the Service Committee of South
Highland Presbyterian Church’s Session, met for the first time to address
the question, “What is God calling us to be and to do in and for the
community of Five Points South.”
Over several months we became intensely aware of the needs of persons with mental/emotional handicapping conditions who were our neighbors. Two such persons were added to our Task Force, one a church member. A few months previously, the state mental institution was forced to discharge large numbers of persons over a short period of time. We discovered within a few miles of the church over eighty licensed private boarding homes: five homes for the mentally retarded, five homes for the mentally ill operated by the Mental Health Authority, and thirty foster homes licensed by Bryce State Hospital. In addition, there were twenty-three homes for the mentally retarded: three group homes operated by an Episcopal Church and twenty contract homes operated by the State Department of Mental Health.
In the licensed private boarding homes there were no standards set by the Health Department concerning food. There were no means available to boarders for securing, storing, or preparing food, and very few available restaurants in the area. Within blocks of the church, one person operated seven homes which, in time, grew to eleven homes. The residents paid $280 of their $336 SSI checks each month for room and board, which did not include lunches or any meals on Sundays or holidays.
After analyzing our information and consulting many authorities in related
fields, we discovered that persons with mental/emotional handicapping
conditions needed a place to go where they could experience socialization,
activity and acceptance. In addition, we learned that the particular persons
in our neighborhood had a great need to be more self-reliant and
self-motivated. They needed to develop self-esteem, hope, communication
skills and trust. They needed to be treated as individuals of worth. They
needed a home-like atmosphere where they would be part of a loving,
accepting group.
In January 1987, the Session voted to begin “The Sunday Club” to address both the need for food on Sunday and the need for a place to go where love, acceptance and fellowship are graciously given. We could not do “therapy.” We could, however, refer, love, accept, share God’s compassion and grace, be a friend, be kind, become aware of individual gifts and offer opportunities for their use — and we could share a meal.
In April 1987, The Sunday Club became a reality. It has been a significant program of the Church since that exciting beginning. (back to top)
More than 60 members are currently on roll. Most Sundays see fifty people attending. Jesse, who is treated for schizophrenia, leads the circle time. John, a young adult who is unable to function at a high level because of a mental-handicapping condition, has responsibility for putting out the drinks and the “special person” items. Both have been with the program since its beginning. Others over the years have served as excellent pianists, clean-up helpers, and assistants in setting out games and handing out song sheets. Thomas, a college graduate and avid reader, but now unable to work because of his illness, prompted us to set up a magazine rack with current issues donated by church members available for program participants to take home.
Volunteers wear many hats: driving the church van for pick-up and return;
acting as team leaders for specific Sundays; lining up, presenting and
leading programs; making table favors; donating gifts for special persons;
mixing and mingling with the members. Preparing and serving the meals is a
special responsibility. Great effort is made to see that the meals served
are beyond ordinary in quality and presentation. Volunteers include
children, young people, and adults of all ages. Even pre-school children can
enjoy putting the salt and pepper shakers on the tables! Volunteers come
from South Highland Church and from other churches and civic organizations
in the community.
By sharing service opportunities with members of other churches and
organizations, we hope we have increased understanding and awareness of this
special-needs group. Today state law requires the boarding homes to provide
meals throughout the week, including Sundays, but our program continues
because of the wonderful sense of community which, we realize, has been
created. Members now enter and leave with their heads held high.
From the beginning, people have been free to come or not to come. We want them and we miss them if they are not present. We do not lay guilt on them if they do not come. People go in and out to the restroom, or to the smoking area, at will. We sit at the tables to eat, but a person may sit anywhere he or she chooses. People are free to choose an activity, to read or to do nothing. We invite, but we do not push. When an opportunity for special activity comes up, such as listening to the Church’s program of Christmas music, we ask the group to decide. The opportunity to make simple choices is a welcome new experience for many.
Several
joyful experiences have come to us recently. One was the opening of the 1920
Club, a weekday program in the community patterned after Sunday Club to meet
the need for socialization Monday through Friday. Among the leaders of this
non-profit organization are individuals who have attended our Sunday Club.
A second joyful experience is the increasing number of Sunday Club members who now attend SHPC worship, church school classes and fellowship suppers. Several are now members! With the support of our pastor and Session, they are feeling the warm, church-wide Christian welcome Sunday Club has always fostered.
For many years Sunday Club’s closing song was Bind Us Together, Lord. “Bind us together with cords that cannot be broken.” Indeed, we are bound together with the cords of God’s love. We pray, through these efforts, God will enable all of us to move toward wholeness. (back to top)
LEARN MORE
If you or your church is interested in becoming a part of the ministry of Sunday Club, you may contact the church office for more information, at 933-0790, or click here to send an email. ALL are welcome and greatly appreciated.
SUNDAY CLUB LINKS
(Adobe PDF)
TO LEARN MORE about Sunday Club, please call the Church Office at 933-0790, or click here to send an email.
The Special Person
prize is given to one lucky individual each week. Hand cream, shaving
cream, razors, shampoo and conditioners, red nail polish and lipstick, combs
and hair brushes, men’s and ladies under-wear items, medium to XXX-Large
(briefs and undershirts for men, panties for ladies), socks, and
handkerchiefs are especially needed.
If you wish to make a donation, just contact Jeff or Katie Black at
824-1759.
Please contact the webmaster with any corrections.