The Madison County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities gave London Grace of London, Ohio (Pastor Tim Ruesch) a public awareness award at their 17th annual appreciation awards night Tuesday evening, March 20.
The London church has about seven adults who receive services from the MRDD Board and who attend London Grace each Sunday. A few months ago Pastor Ruesch wrote an article in his ministry update about their involvement at London Grace, and this article found its way into the hands of an MRDD staff person who then nominated the church for the award.
The text of Pastor Ruesch’s article is as follows:
A dear friend of mine recently visited London Grace and was struck by the fact that we have a large number of people with disabilities who attend the church. Not only was he struck by the fact that they attend but that they are also active in serving by greeting people and handing out bulletins. This was something he has not seen in other churches.
He commented that God is doing something through us. I had never made that connection but as I thought about it my eyes welled up with tears because I realized that my friend was right.
London Grace is blessed to have a number of people attending who have disabilities. As a pastor I love to watch the church family interact with each other. There are always hugs and laughter but on occasions there are tears because of some hardship such as the death of a family member or roommate.
As a pastor I can get a little one-track-minded on Sunday morning. After all, I have a lot of responsibilities and a lot on my mind. However, it never fails that God uses one of our disabled individuals to help me loosen up a little by giving me a big hug or wanting to show me a Special Olympics medal.
As a church we have been praying that God would do something through us that can only be explained by Him. I am convinced that our disabled members of the family are an answer to this prayer. Most of the time they are faced with misunderstanding, avoidance, discomfort, and prejudice from the public
Not so at London Grace. God has done something and we rejoice in Him. I am blessed to pastor such a great group of people.
