Ministry for families with additional needs is re-energising Perth church

Living up to its name, Perth InTogether is a place where parents and children can be certain of an unquestioning warm welcome and companionship.

For parent Ash, this is what makes the Church-backed project special.

"We went to some parent groups and just didn't fit in," she said.

Perth InTogether, which is the subject of the latest episode of the Church of Scotland's Thriving Church Lab podcast, is a Presbytery Mission Initiative (PMI) that aims to demonstrate God's love in practice.

It does this by providing support, both practical and spiritual, for families with children who have additional support needs.

Its regular Fun Together sessions at Riverside Church in Perth have spun into other activities for all ages, from Outdoor Church to parents' retreats, a dads' support group, and prayer sessions for groups and individuals.

Ash can vouch for the difference these can make.

"Being a mum to three children, two with diagnosed additional needs, is really hard," she said.

"I went to the individual prayer session when I was really tired and they prayed that I would just get a good night's sleep and things would be better for me. I woke up the next day and felt like a new woman."

InTogether is so important to another mum, Lucy, that she would regularly walk across Perth each Friday so she and her son Jack could come to Fun Together.

"There were little supportive things that were big things for me," she said.

"I remember getting a little knitted love heart in it, just something that said: ‘We are thinking of you.' I packed that with us when we were in Glasgow Children's Hospital. Just knowing they were there for us was like our little safety net in that time. Once you are in the fold, you are part of it, and they are welcoming of you in every way."

For father of three, Aaron, InTogether provides valuable family time.

"Being able to do stuff as a family, particularly in a church environment with Bible stories, has been the biggest thing because getting to church on a Sunday is a struggle. Something like the Friday Fun Together sessions where we can all come together or Outdoor Church has been great for all three of our boys," Aaron said.

"At some churches, you almost feel uncomfortable if the kids start to get noisy, so having things like this has been great."

‘Our cup is filled'

This is all confirmation for project leaders Lynsey Paterson and Anne Stott. They saw a need in Perth and InTogether is meeting it.

Lynsey, whose professional background is in speech and language therapy, and co-leader Anne, a teacher of children with additional support needs and Ordained Local Minister of the Church of Scotland, became aware of those needs through their professional lives.

"I was working with families with additional needs, and I stared wondering where are those families on a Sunday?" Lynsey said.

InTogether's monthly Outdoor Church provides one answer.

"We have various activities for the kids based around a Biblical theme and they explore the garden, then we gather together, sing a song and talk about what we have been learning about," Lynsey explained.

"We also have things like a prayer station for the parents, so they get something for their faith."

This is certainly the case for mum Lucy.

"It's really relaxed – the way I was raised, church on Sunday was not relaxed," she said.

"That has opened our minds. We always come away feeling our cup is filled up."

InTogether Dads, which was introduced at the suggestion of one of the fathers, provides a place for dads to connect with each other.

"We know that can be hard for dads," Lynsey explained.

"When you have been at work, it is hard to have something left over for yourself. That isolation is one of the things that is really hard for our families who don't feel they have that social outlet or support.

"The parents are often on a journey that they did not expect as they realise their child is developing differently,

"That has made them ask questions about how things have happened, and how society values people.

"But we have real hope to share because we don't measure value the same way as the secular world. We have a God who says that everybody has a value, everybody has a purpose, everybody is made in the image of God."

Walking together

As a PMI rather than an individual church project, InTogether also receives practical support from the congregation and kirk session at its supervising church, Perth North.

These include many InTogether volunteers.

"We need a high level of volunteers because of the needs of our kids," Lynsey explained.

Among these volunteers is Liz, who also keeps an eye on InTogether's accounts as well as helping in person.

Liz said: "It has been a privilege to journey with these families and play our small part in creating a space and a community for them.

"For me, it is about walking alongside people and seeing seeds being planted. We can now see the shoots. This is faith in action."

Lynsey would certainly like to see the Perth experience replicated elsewhere.

"We might become a church in our own right and become a church plant," Lynsey suggested.

"It is more than just a project, it is an expression of church, and I would love to see it expand into other areas.

"But what I have learnt is that we can have ideas, but what makes it sustainable is asking what is God doing and being prepared to shift our ideas and learn how to partner with Him."

InTogether leaders say they've been encouraged by seeing faith develop in parents who would otherwise find it difficult to connect with a church because of the challenges of family life.

However, they are not the only ones gaining from their InTogether connection.

"We have also seen volunteers grow in their faith and have confidence in sharing that faith and talking about what that means," Lynsey said.

Those ripples of faith and encouragement are spreading even further, as Liz pointed out.

"When we discuss InTogether at the kirk session, people smile. It is very positive," she said.

Lynsay added: "When you have a mission, it also re-energises the established church.

"In God's economy, nobody misses out. Everybody gains."

To hear more from Lynsey Paterson and Anne Stott about the exciting work Perth InTogether is doing in its community, listen to the podcast.