Being “Kids Friendly” means extending a warm welcome to all God’s children of all ages and abilities. To help our churches reflect on how effectively they welcome children (and adults) with disabilities, we asked Antonia Hay, mother of Max, to describe her experience of church and to advise us on what we could do to better support families who have a child with a disability.
Some years ago I (Jill Kayser) took a call from a young mum whose young son had Down Syndrome. She was looking for a church to attend with him and following some hurtful experiences during her “church shopping” phase, she decided it would be best to phone a church before arriving on the Sunday morning to ask if she and her son would be welcome! Now you may find this hard to believe, but it’s what happened.