alyssa's friends

the inspiring story behind alyssa's friends

"Our family started attending Grey Stone in late 2006 after our oldest daughter, Lindsey had participated in Upward Cheerleading at the church. At that time she was five years old and Alyssa, our younger daughter was two. As parents we were still relatively “new” at the parenting role, but we had noticed that Alyssa was developing differently than Lindsey. We would leave her in the childcare area at church each Sunday, but would hear from the teachers that she often had a difficult time.

Subsequently, she was diagnosed with Autism in June 2007. At that point we shared with the teachers and leaders at church her diagnosis. Shortly after this, the children’s pastor approached us about making modifications for the care of Alyssa on Sunday mornings. This was due to the difficulty of her behaviors with the other children.  At first it was hard to accept that Alyssa required something different than the other children at the church. From this, Alyssa’s Friends Ministry emerged with the help of several very compassionate volunteers who had made a connection with Alyssa on Sunday mornings. These dedicated individuals researched ideas and visited other churches that had similar programs to put together this ministry. It started out very small with only 3 children in the class.

Over the years, we have seen this ministry grow. We have developed great friendships with volunteers and other parents within this ministry. During this very challenging time, our relationship to Christ was strengthened and it continues to grow as we are able to attend church without the stress of worrying about Alyssa. We know that she is being cared for in a loving, safe, and accepting environment."