Neighbors In Christ

While you may be reading The Upper Room as a daily devotional, we read it for Sunday school! We are the “Marbridge Class” — a small group of people from a residential community for adults with intellectual disabilities located just down the road from our church. Each week, we sit in a circle and take turns reading the devotionals. We have just the right number of members, too, with Brooke, Gary, Jack, Kelly, Ken, Laura, and Michelle. Some of us read slowly, others with more ease, but we get through every word. 

We are amazed each week by the stories from all over the globe, and we take time to share how each one reminds us of our own lives and how alike we all are in Christ. One way we can relate is to the stories about loss. Many of us have lost our parents, and it helps us to talk about it. Often the stories in The Upper Room transport us from our dreams and struggles and let us see into others’ hearts. Sometimes we cry along with the writers and other times we laugh. And we always learn something about the writers and ourselves. 

Marbridge is our home now, and we have many opportunities to take on exciting challenges like working, competing in the Special Olympics, swimming, horseback riding, choir, and much more. Having a church home, in addition to our Marbridge home, is a blessing and an opportunity to maintain our relationships with God and our neighbors. 

By sharing our story, we hope you’ll know a little bit more about us and feel our gratitude for your stories and what they mean to us. Jesus told us to love our neighbors, and despite our differences, we feel that not only are the people in our church our neighbors but so are the writers and readers of The Upper Room!