St James’ Episcopal Church in Lincoln, California (40 minutes east of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills) held a Christmas service on Saturday geared towards children with autism and other special needs. The service included music and the Christmas story, and plenty of opportunity for the children and their parents to participate. It was led by Rev Sarah Quinney, assistant rector at St John’s in Roseville. Quinney is a former music therapist, and is passionate about including special needs children in church, moving beyond the day care model. This Christmas service was a pilot; she’s hoping to conduct something similar at Easter, and eventually every two months. It was well-received by both parents and children.
Read more at The Sacramento Bee.