No church can do everything, but every church can do something. And several small churches working together can do some pretty amazing things!

Last winter, I received my first e-mail from Shane Geisheimer. Shane isn’t a professional Christian…he’s a techie involved with an internet company, but he’s passionate about Jesus and passionate about ensuring that folks with disabilities get to experience the love of Jesus.

Shane had this big, hairy, audacious, God-shaped vision to allow teens and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the greater Cleveland area to experience a taste of Heaven through staging a Prom…similar to those staged at very large churches in Cincinnati, Orlando, Raleigh and other cities. He procured resources from our website and tool kit and ruthlessly networked throughout our community. Unlike our friends and ministry colleagues who have been involved in staging Proms, Shane faced a very large obstacle…

You see, Shane belongs to a small church…Hope United Methodist Church. Shane’s church is may be relatively new…it was formed by the consolidation of several very small Methodist churches in older suburbs on the southeast side of Cleveland that fell into decline as families moved on to larger homes further away from the city. Shane’s church currently worships in a very old building that lacks the facilities to host an event of the scope envisioned by his ministry team.

Shane approached other churches in the Northcoast District of the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and found two other churches…Garfield United Methodist Church and South Euclid UMC up to the challenge. Garfield offered its’ facilities to host… despite being smack in the middle of a major renovation/construction project! The Heart of Rock and Roll Prom was on!

The Prom was the culmination of a week-long series of events throughout Cleveland and Northeast Ohio to increase awareness of the needs of people with disabilities, including a worship service for families impacted by disability.

I was honored to have received an invite to attend on Friday night, and I can’t imagine how the team could have welcomed many more guests into their facility, or how the guests could have had a better time. Don’t take my word for it…here’s a report from the Fox affiliate in Cleveland on the Prom (click on the picture below to view the video)…

The Heart of Rock and Roll Prom is a wonderful example of how churches without limitless resources can come together to provide a great experience for individuals with disabilities while promoting awareness of their needs in the communities they serve.

Well Done, Garfield, Hope and South Euclid UMC!

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