At His Table | A Share Your Story Blog

God shows no partiality in who He invites into His Kingdom. It doesn’t matter what you look like, where you’re from, or what you’ve done — if Jesus has brought you to Himself and you have received His forgiveness and abundant grace, you have a seat at His table in His kingdom. I am utterly convinced of this truth, although my life has not always reflected it.

I grew up going to church, but I never had a personal relationship with God. I attended a Lutheran grade school and high school, so Christianity was a major part of my world. I knew all the stuff, and I was convinced I knew what it meant to be a follower of Jesus, even though my heart was far from God.

In high school, I began using drugs and alcohol to fill the God-sized hole in my heart. I knew there was a void, but I decided to use my own resources to fill a deep need for God. My drug and alcohol abuse was only heightened in my college years, leading to a significant dependency on those vices. My brokenness was no longer on the inside, but had become visible to the friends and family around me. The path of substance abuse and addiction led me to a life of loneliness, depression, and hopelessness. It was a dark period of my life for a very long time.

I knew I needed help, but I didn’t know where or who to turn to. My parents urged me and my girlfriend (now my wife) to attend the young adult ministry at Woodside, but I was apprehensive. I thought Christians were fake and that it was all just a show. But my girlfriend suggested that we try it out, so, hesitantly, we went. The first few times we attended, the message series was on Psalm 23. I remember moments when God pulled at my heart, telling me that He was the one I could turn to for help — He was the one who could restore my soul and comfort me as I walked through the dark valley of addiction and depression.

I didn’t really have a conversion moment. Instead, it was a six-month period of God invading my life and causing me to change certain things. He granted me the courage to speak up about my struggles and get the help that I desperately needed. I began attending Celebrate Recovery, seeing a Christian counselor, and embracing Christ-centered community, which made me realize that I didn’t have to hide things anymore — I could just be honest and let God do the work. My whole life experienced renewal, and for the first time in a long time, I felt purpose, hope, and passion.

God developed in me a deep love for those on the margins of society, and I began recognizing that He was planting a seed in my heart to pursue ministry. This ultimately led me to Woodside’s Leadership Institute. There, as an intern with the Troy campus student ministry, I had several opportunities to lead trips to Camp Barnabas, a summer experience for people with special needs. My first week there changed my life forever. Not only was it one of the most challenging weeks of my life, but I had never experienced an overflow of joy, contentment, delight, and love like that before. I remember taking a step back in my mind, and being like, “This place is what the kingdom of Heaven is like.” There was so much love being freely given to people who were told what they weren’t for the other 51 weeks of the year. But there, they were told who they were — loved, chosen, and valuable. From that point on, I told myself that if I ever had the opportunity to serve the special needs community for a living, I would.

After three years of serving in student ministry, I was looking for work all over the place. My wife, Kelsey, and I had prayed fervently for the Lord’s will to be done in our lives. Around that time, I met with a friend from the Leadership Institute who told me that Greg McDougall (director of Woodside’s special needs ministry) was looking to retire and train a replacement. As soon as he finished the sentence, I was like, “That’s what I’m supposed to do.” And then God opened the door.

During the few short years I’ve served in the special needs community, I’ve met some of the most gentle, humble, joy-filled, genuine people. They have gifts to help strengthen and encourage the world and the Church. The reality is that everyone is invited to have a seat at God’s table in His kingdom. He wants to use everyone who follows Him to display His glory and love to the world, and that includes people affected by disability. At His table, there’s no discrimination or prejudice. It’s perfect. It’s how the Church should be.

John 9 is one of my favorite stories in Scripture. Jesus’ disciples see a man born blind, and they ask Him, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that He was born blind?” Jesus responds with, “Neither. It is so the works of God may be displayed through Him.” The reality is that people with special needs are often looked past, looked down upon, or completely forgotten. As the largest marginalized people group in the world, people without disabilities often see them as a mistake or even purposeless. But Jesus sees them as people made in His image and after His likeness — people who not only have purpose, but gifts, talents, and abilities that no one else has. He sees them as an important and indispensable part of His Church.

The passage we use when talking to people about disability ministry is Luke 14, the parable of the great banquet. The master sends out a servant into the highways and hedges and says, “Invite the poor, the lame, the cripple, and the leper.” It’s so the kingdom of God is filled. And that’s a mandate for us — if people with special needs aren’t in the body of Christ, then we’re missing a limb. It’s our job to bring them in.

If you’re nervous around people with disabilities, I urge you to pray. Ask God to help you see them as He sees them, and He’ll change your perspective. While our community might look different, they’re people, just like you and me. They have likes, interests, desires, and passions just like you and me. I encourage you to talk to somebody with a disability — by getting to know them and who they are, you’ll quickly see how big of a blessing they are to the world and how vital their role is within the Church. 

Editor’s Note: After two years of training with Greg McDougall, Scott will step in as the director of Woodside’s special needs ministry in the fall of 2024. For a deeper look at the why behind this incredible ministry, take a moment to watch this video.