More than 20 years ago, Allison Tofflemire started learning sign language at church and got interested in ministry to the hearing impaired.
But she quickly learned God had something slightly different in mind.
“We had two members of our congregation who were special needs and one of them was deaf, but they would both come to the class every week,” Tofflemire said.
So one day she decided to broaden the scope of the ministry — she threw a banquet and told them to invite their friends.
The next thing she knew, they had 98 people with special needs in attendance.
“I remember saying, ‘OK God, I got it — this is a special needs ministry,’” Tofflemire said.
And this year’s banquet, held over two nights in order to accommodate the crowd, drew more than 350 people to Southside Baptist Church, Huntsville, on Feb. 8–9. They served homemade chili, peanut butter and jelly and ham and cheese sandwiches, and they played bingo with prizes for everyone.
Not forgotten
It’s not just a once-a-year ministry. Every Sunday night Southside’s special needs class draws around 60 people to sing, assemble crafts and hear Bible stories.
“It’s a huge blessing,” Tofflemire said. “It allows us to interact with a part of the world that is often left out.” (Grace Thornton)
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