Pleasant Valley Community Church has launched a new special needs ministry designed to better serve children, students, and adults with disabilities, along with their families and caregivers.
The ministry, spearheaded by Lauren Amaya, is called Teleios, a Greek word meaning “complete” or “made whole.”
Amaya said the program grew out of a need the church had already been addressing informally.
“We have a lot of kids that come that have various needs, and we noticed that they just needed a little bit of extra support to be successful in a typical Sunday class,” Amaya said.
Amaya, a former special education teacher, said families sometimes felt hesitant about attending church activities because of concerns about how their children might be received.
“Their parents were coming and feeling like they couldn’t drop their kids off, or their families weren’t coming because, well, my kid’s just going to get kicked out of their class. And we didn’t like that,” she said.
Before becoming a dedicated ministry, Amaya said the church had been implementing accommodations commonly used in special education classrooms.
“We were putting in just some supports that you would see kind of typically in a special needs classroom in the school,” she said. “Trying to train our volunteers with a little bit more specific strategies.”
Interest and participation steadily increased, largely through word of mouth among families.
“Those parents that live in that world, they know each other, and they talk,” Amaya said. “They say, hey, guess what? So-and-so made this accommodation for my son, and he was able to go to Sunday school for the first time, and I didn’t get called out of service.”
Church leaders later selected the special needs ministry as the focus of a Christmas offering.
Amaya said the congregation raised more than $110,000 in December to support the initiative and allow the ministry to expand.
“So now that’s my sole focus,” she said. “Supporting those families, those kids, siblings, church-wide, so it’s from babies all the way through adults.”
Rather than a rigid structure, Amaya said the ministry will evolve based on the needs of participating families.
“We’re not exactly sure what it will look like,” she said. “Their needs are going to guide what it is, versus me saying, here’s what we’re offering. Take it or leave it.”
As part of the rollout, Pleasant Valley Community Church will host its first Teleios Family Lunch on March 1.
Amaya said the event is intended to help families build connections and reduce feelings of isolation.
“A lot of them live in isolation, thinking ‘I’m the only one experiencing this,’ which is not true,” she said. “We can walk alongside each other.”
The lunch will also serve as an opportunity for families to provide feedback about what types of programs or support would be most helpful, including potential respite events or targeted Bible studies.
“If that’s what it is and they want, great, that’s what we’ll do,” Amaya said.
Amaya, an Owensboro native and Apollo High School graduate, said her passion for the ministry is rooted in both her professional background and personal experiences.
“My passion is making sure that kids of all abilities and needs get to do what they want to do,” she said.
She emphasized that the ministry is open not only to current church members but also to families seeking a welcoming environment.
“Nothing’s going to change. Your child is still welcome,” Amaya said. “If we need to add support, then we’ll do that.”
More information about the Teleios special needs ministry and upcoming events is available through Pleasant Valley Community Church.
