On a recent Sunday "Come, Share the Lord" was more than the communion hymn at Greenville's First Christian Church. It was part of the message.

The lyrics, "No one is a stranger here. Everyone belongs," spoke volumes. But louder than the words were the people who sang them. In the choir loft sat members of Sing for Joy, a choir for adults with special needs. In the congregation were members of First Christian's special populations adult Sunday school class.

Greg Eans/The Daily Reflector (ENLARGE)

BILLY DAVIS, a country music fan who has seen celebrities including Conway Twitty, Johnny Paycheck and Kitty Wells, has written a country music song. Billy's other interests include recycling and North Carolina geography.

"You go to churches, you look around, you don't see very many people with developmental disabilities in the pew," said Sandy Steele, a member of First Christian for nearly 20 years.

Steele, an eastern North Carolina inclusion specialist for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provides training and consultation to support the inclusion of young children with disabilities in all aspects of community life. Steele, whose son, Drew, has Down syndrome, previously served on an advisory board that looked at the way churches respond to people with disabilities.

"What we found were not many churches were well versed on it," Steele said. "They really didn't know what to do."

With the diagnosis of developmental disabilities on the rise, some denominations are looking to change that. The Presbyterian Church in America employs a special-needs ministries director to help churches reach out to people with disabilities.

"People with disabilities represent approximately 20 percent of the population within North America," according to PCA's Web site. "Yet, they are vastly underrepresented in church life."

Mary Beth Harper, who co-pastors Greenville's First Christian Church with her husband, Terry, said even churches that want to reach out to people with developmental disabilities don't always know how to do so.

"I'm not sure what makes a church particularly receptive," Harper said. "The church we came from in Florida was across the street from a group home and we had three or four gentlemen who regularly attended from there. We needed a class (for them) but did not have one."

First Christian's class dates back 30 years or more. The class, which has about a half dozen members, is named in memory of Camille Gaylord, a longtime Sunday school teacher.

"I remember it when I was a teenager," said Waighty Scales, Gaylord's nephew, who now co-leads the special populations Sunday school class with Sandy Steele. "She was great with youth, the special populations in particular, folks she might have perceived as being disadvantaged."

George Davis started attending Gaylord's class in the 1970s.

"She was my Sunday school teacher," George said, "and I loved her to death."

George attends First Christian nearly every Sunday with his brother, Billy, and Paul Bartlett, who lives with them in a group home in Winterville. Their mother, Anna Braddy, who lives in Washington, N.C., said the class helped draw the family to First Christian when they moved to Greenville from Kentucky.

"I don't know about any other church having a special-education class," Braddy said, "but that's one of the reasons we joined the First Christian Church in Greenville, the special-education class.

"They've just always been in church. It is home to them," she said. "(First Christian members) seem to take a particular interest in them (Billy and George)."

It is not just Billy and George. On a recent Sunday morning, Scales introduced members of the Sunday school class by talking about each one's special interests and talents. George loves horses and Shetland ponies; Billy loves country music and writing letters; Alice Quiggins is a Special Olympic swimmer; Leslie Feldbush enjoys computers; Ashley Scales (Waighty Scales' daughter) loves to read; Paul Bartlett plays basketball. And Drew Steele? "Everybody knows Drew Steele," Scales said of the 22-year-old who headlines a golf fundraiser for special populations with East Carolina University football coach Skip Holtz.

"These folks know more about the Bible than I do," Scales said. "They're teaching me. ... You really look forward to going on Sunday and spending time with them."

Both teachers try to find as many ways as possible to include the special-populations class in various aspects of church life. Last year, members took a turn at the weekly Scripture reading during the church's worship service.

"We worked a long time because some of the words are hard," Sandy Steele said. "Our class got up and read the Scripture. They were just so proud."

On a recent Sunday, when the Sing for Joy choir performed a song written by Billy Davis, the congregation broke into applause. Afterward, several church members stopped to congratulate Billy on his accomplishment.

"I've watched how they interact with the church, and they are very much accepted and loved," Mary Beth Harper said. "Everybody loves them, and they're just part of us.

"I think Jesus' ministry carries his passion and love of all people, no matter what these people are like," she said. "We talk about his love for all people, 'the least of these.' There is a place in the kingdom of God for everybody."

Contact features writer Kim Grizzard at 329-9578 or kgrizzard@coxnc.com.