​Special Friends is a ministry that developed within Berean to reach out to people with disabilities, meet them where they are, teach them the Bible, and welcome them into the fellowship of the church. This ministry currently has a youth program open to anyone from middle school-23 years old, and we will also be launching an adult program for people 24 years or older. These programs are available to anyone who has any sort of special needs or requires any sort of special accommodations. Both of them are modeled on a reverse inclusion plan, which means we have designed our weekly events specifically for people with special needs and strategically introduced typically-developed students as “buddies” for our special friends. 

Special Friends youth group meets on Tuesday nights at the Berean gym from 6:30-8:00 PM. Students have a chance to hang out, eat dinner, play games, learn a Bible lesson, and meet in a small group to discuss the lesson and pray together. There are also discipleship groups that meet throughout the week with several of our volunteers to help students study the Bible even more and grow in their faith. Everyone will be invited to attend Berean’s morning service, which starts at 11. 

Here is a typical evening schedule for Special Friends youth group: 
6:30-7:00 hangout time
7:00-7:20 eat dinner
7:30-8:00 lesson time 
8:00-8:30 small groups 

Berean is a place where differently-abled people and their families are invited to worship--a place where they will be welcomed, loved, and valued.