Stephen Bedard
Stephen J. Bedard is a pastor at Queen Street Baptist Church. He is currently completing his DMin in the area of disability ministry from Acadia Divinity College. He lives with his wife Amanda in St. Catharines, Ontario. Their oldest two children have autism and live in a group home setting. Feel free to check out his website at stephenjbedard.com , or pick up a copy of his book How to Make Your Church Autism Friendly.
I felt the presence of God so much more at the Family Retreat than I had anywhere else in recent years. Seeing so many people of all abilities joining together to make a joyful noise was a powerful experience. The love for God in that room was so strong that it was almost overwhelming. It felt like a preview of heaven.
My prayer for all five our children, those with and without autism, is that God would reveal himself in a way that they would understand.
I know, as a parent of two children with autism, that it is much easier to just stay home. The fact that this family attends church regularly is already a "win."