The Bible Chapel opens a new wing with space for special needs kids
The Bible Chapel in McMurray has added a 15,000 square-foot wing featuring classrooms geared for children with special needs.
Courtesy The Bible Chapel Children play in one of the new interactive rooms for special needs at The Bible Chapel.
The Bible Chapel in McMurray has just opened a 15,000-square-foot wing that includes three fully adaptive classrooms geared toward children with sensory, developmental and mobility needs, church officials said.
Features in the new facility include flooring that supports children with balance and mobility issues and lighting designed to calm children suffering with emotional issues, the church said. The space also has furnishings that accommodates various disabilities, as well as interactive technologies that address different learning styles of the children. In addition, a new parking lot was added to provide plenty of room for building access.
The value of the three-floor church expansion is $2.57 million, according to township building permits. The project was funded by the church’s Beyond These Walls capital campaign.
“Historically, families of children with special needs have a very difficult time in participating in activities that are routine for other families, like attending church services,” said Jaclyn Stottlemyer, the Bible Chapel’s Special Needs Ministry director. “The accommodations and programming for these children tend to be minimal. Children with special needs have a place here where they can learn and grow on their own level and their parents can attend services without worry.”
“The Bible Chapel wants to build relationships with families by knowing their children’s specific needs and by providing ways to integrate these children while supporting the work being done at home,” she said. “We want to make special needs kids feel welcome.”
So far, the classrooms have proven to be a success with church members. Stottlemyer said nine special needs children attended a recent 9 a.m. church service and 13 children attended a 10:45 a.m. service. Stottlemyer said they have received positive feedback from parents who say they have a piece of mind knowing their children are being cared for. The facility is also open to the community as well.
The McMurray church, which has 3,500 attendees at its five campuses in Greater Pittsburgh, has been providing integrated teaching and support services for children with special needs for eight years. Its Special Needs Ministry has 39 trained volunteers who support 30 children and their families during weekend services.