By Brant Mils, Director of Communications

Rev. Whitney Peper laments how families with members who have special needs often struggle to find a place of worship where they can participate fully in the life of the church. Her ministry at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Katy strives to offer a space of inclusivity and support, and she loves to help others learn steps toward finding ways to do the same.

Rev. Peper’s journey into special needs ministry was deeply personal. Watching her family struggle to find a church that could accommodate her niece’s needs had a profound impact on her. “Most churches just feel like they can’t handle what her needs are,” Rev. Peper explained. This realization helped fuel her passion to create a worship space where families could find belonging and support. Then, while visiting Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas she was inspired after witnessing a service tailored for the special needs community that allowed families to worship together. “I just felt God say, ‘You know how to do this, so I need you to do this,’” she said.

Peper worked with the pastor at Highland Park to start their program at St. Peter’s, where she says the special needs ministry is more than just welcoming; it’s fully inclusive. The program spans across both of the church’s campuses and offers options tailored to meet the diverse needs of its participants.

On Sunday mornings, the church offers a Sunday school class for teens and adults at 9 a.m. so they’re able to be with peers their own age. “We don’t have children and teens together because we want to respect ages regardless of cognitive level,” Peper noted. “Then we have, our buddy program. We have volunteers who are trained who go to the classroom with children who are able to do inclusion. They can participate, they just need a little extra help.”

For those who find it overwhelming to be in a traditional class due to sensory issues or other challenges, St. Peter’s offers self-contained classrooms with a quieter, more controlled environment. “For some, it’s just too difficult. They get overwhelmed. They have sensory issues… They can do a craft, play a game. It’s just in a calmer environment with less children. The noise is less and we provide different things for each participant so we know what they like, what they don’t like – what they need in order to succeed.”

On Wednesdays adults who have aged out of the school system can participate in an all-day respite program at the Kingsland campus. Participants can socialize, play games, and participate in themed activities. Meanwhile, caregivers receive much-needed time to rest or attend to other matters.

And once a month, on Friday nights from 6-9 p.m., St. Peter’s hosts a respite program for children and teens, offering parents a few hours to themselves. This program welcomes both those with special needs and their neurotypical siblings.

Then, every Sunday evening they offer a special service called “Courage” at the Kingsland campus. Designed specifically for the special needs community, this service mirrors a traditional worship experience but is adapted to be more accessible. Lasting just 30 minutes, it features a shortened message, communion, and music that is kept at a low volume to avoid sensory disruptions.

“This worship service allows everyone to come and just worship as they are,” Rev. Peper said. “And it really does provide an opportunity for families to worship together. We have had families who never worship together because their loved one couldn’t go into the sanctuary or contemporary service was too loud. This space provides that for families to worship together—some for the very first time.”

She added: “This is kind of like the Field of Dreams. If you start building it, they will come. And as families came, they told us what they needed. And we just added that into our program… We have a level on our soundboard that we know we can’t go past that level or we’re getting into a sensory disruption phase. And we also provide noise canceling headphones. We always have those available. A lot of new families use those the first couple times until their loved ones can see that it’s not going to be loud.”

“One of the things that we learned is we need our chairs to have wheelchair space in between the aisles, in between the rows. We have individuals that come in power chairs and we want them to feel that they could go through any row because we only have one aisle in the middle and don’t want them feeling trapped or claustrophobic. So we widened our rows and widened our aisle, and we made it so our chairs did not connect. They can sit in the row with their family members now.”

The service is also streamed live on the church’s Facebook page, allowing those who cannot attend in person to participate from home.

Additionally, each summer, St. Peter’s hosts a special needs camp. This is a three-day event open to individuals age three and up. The camp is carefully organized to ensure that participants are always interacting with their peer group, with separate areas for preschoolers, elementary students, teens, and adults. The most recent camp saw 65 participants and 175 volunteers, with every camper receiving one-on-one support from a trained buddy.

“The camp is so much fun,” Rev. Peper said. “It’s where we often meet new families who then get involved in our other programs.”

St. Peter’s UMC also offers ongoing support for families through a parent support group and social opportunities for special needs moms, helping them connect with others who understand the unique challenges they face.

Peper believes that every individual, regardless of their abilities, can participate fully in the life of the church. “A perfect example of that was our blessing of the backpacks. A lot of times our children who are participants don’t get to participate, but this year, we made it that they did. Our special needs team brought in our kids, who, for the very first time, got to sit and participate in blessing of the backpacks instead of cards just being given to them. They sat with all the other children and got to participate in that. It was beautiful!

Peper says she would say to churches that this is the largest mission field that we have. “The last poll, I think it was in 2022. It said in 92% of families with special needs, someone with special needs does not attend a church or does not attend a house of worship.”

 “We actually have Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish families who attend our programs because where they would go does not have anything like this to offer. So when we open our doors they’re here.”

“It’s not scary. It’s not undoable. Every church can do something. And I am happy to help anyone if they have questions or how to begin this program. I just would want other churches to see the beauty of what can be when all of God’s children, regardless of age or need, have the opportunity to participate in the life of the church… This is a great way to see the love of God and grace in action!”