Life in Grand Junction, Colorado was good. It was the early 1980s, my two older sons were in a new Christian school that our church, along with two others, founded, the baby boy was healthy, Cindy was working as a registered nurse, and, as 1983 opened, I was responsible for fourteen ministries in my portfolio at the large First Assembly of God.
One of those ministries was an amazing opportunity that involved a collaborative effort with a number of the other associate ministers on staff. It began with two intellectually disabled men in wheelchairs.
The senior pastor, Clarence Cope, brought up a “situation” at our weekly staff meeting. Two mentally challenged adult men were a regular part of the Sunday morning service which consisted of nearly a thousand worshippers. At odd times they would shout out during the service. Rightly or wrongly, their behavior brought some complaints. Pastor Cope was asking for our input and solutions…