At my church (Southern Baptist), we have what they call the 'Sunshine Room". It is for special needs kids. Volunteers staff it and make sure that it's a safe place for them to watch Christian kids videos (cartoons, VeggieTales, etc.) and play.
Why did they do this? My daughter, mostly. She's 13 now, severely autistic and developmentally disabled. She cannot sit through a service and be quiet.
Back about 5 or 6 years ago, when they started the Sunshine Room, we also had a couple of Downs Syndrome kids. All 3 of them would play in the room without incident. Over the next couple years, the two families with Downs kids moved on, but we still had my daughter.
These days, it's getting harder to find volunteers to staff the room. At least one Sunday a month there isn't anyone, so either my wife or myself have to stay home to watch her.
I'm glad there are churches out there who do what they can to help out this special kind of "the least of these".
(And for those who view these children as distractions and nuisances...I have this mental picture of you...
You might think of asking the Lord what HE thinks of these children.)
Wait.
You wrote:
“At my church (Southern Baptist), we have what they call the ‘Sunshine Room”. It is for special needs kids. Volunteers staff it and make sure that it’s a safe place for them to watch Christian kids videos (cartoons, VeggieTales, etc.) and play.”
Then you wrote:
“(And for those who view these children as distractions and nuisances...I have this mental picture of you...”
So, is a child brought to the “Sunshine Room” because they are NOT viewed as a distraction or nuisance to someone? Why aren’t their parents with them in the sanctuary??? Clearly the “Sunshine Room” exists for the following purposes: 1) to give special needs kids a place to learn about the faith and to be entertained, 2) to give their parents and siblings a break so they can worship rather than focus on the special needs kids, 3) to allow everyone else in the church to focus on the service rather than be distracted by someone else’s special needs kids.
Everything I have said is indisputably true. If you don’t believe it, ask your pastor.