ABLE TOGETHER Brings Art, Spirituality, and Joy to Nashville Families

Able Together, a ministry of art and spirituality for neurodivergent children, was born out of a deep desire for inclusion. Tired of seeing imaginary lines dividing those who belong in church from those who don’t, the dynamic trio of Pat Pickett, Anna Robbins, and Emrie Rogers began to feel a call to serve the People of God in a new way. “The Scriptures are very clear,” says Anna. “We are one body with many parts, and every piece of the body is created in the image of God and is necessary for the building up of the Body of Christ. There’s no one who doesn’t fit or who shouldn’t be there.” But as stories were shared about negative experiences in churches, it became clear that belonging was not always a universal feeling. Anna, mother of two children with disabilities, was a pastor for 17 years but had to step down because she could not find a church that would allow her to serve with two special needs children attending. She continued, “most of the time, people with disabilities are not in churches. I know that there is a huge percentage of people– specifically in the neurodivergent population– that become atheist and are alienated from church. There’s an ablest underpinning in our society… and it runs through the church, too.”

Seeing and feeling this exclusion led Pat, Anna, and Emrie to begin brainstorming ways to provide people with disabilities a more inclusive welcome into a community of faith. Having served 13 years as a chaplain at a center for people with intellectual disabilities, Pat– a minister and artist– was eager to share the power of art. “It was there, in a ministry where 80% of the almost 400 persons were non-verbal,” said Pat, “that I learned art was a legitimate and life-giving way of prayer. Art is never right or wrong. Art gives people permission to pray without using words.” With Pat and Anna’s desire to bring this ministry to birth, all they needed was a place to start. This is where Emrie answered the call. Emrie, pastor at Tusculum Cumberland Presbyterian Church, graciously offered Tusculum as a place where the ministry could begin. 

And what a joy it has been! Through various tactile and creative experiences, including use of colors, storytelling, puppet shows, music, and other fun activities, Able Together provides fun and Spirit-filled opportunities for children, using art as an avenue to connect more deeply with their spirituality. And as the ministry evolved, Pat, Anna, and Emrie realized that it can bring the added grace of giving caregivers a bit of a rest. Each Able Together event runs about three hours and has enough volunteers that caregivers are able to drop their children off for the afternoon. “We’re ministering to the kids by letting them connect with God through art, but we’re also ministering to the families by letting them have respite,” shared Emrie. 

More than anything, Able Together creates an environment where all know that they belong. “People, when they’re welcomed,” explained Pat, “when they feel that they are loved, and they feel that they are safe, then they start to really participate in the life of the Body of Christ, and that’s what we want to see happen. So it’s very exciting.” And this space of welcome is moving for both the families and for the volunteers who have offered to join in the fun. Emrie added, “This has given my church the opportunity to be the church and to really live into the calling to be welcoming and to challenge them to, really, really be the kind of welcoming that they want to be.” 

And the hope is that Tusculum is just a starting place. Anna, Pat, and Emrie would love to expand this ecumenical ministry and host programming at other churches. They believe the ministry, alongside inviting children with disabilities to greater inclusion, is an incredible opportunity for those who are offering the invitation. “Speaking for myself,” Emrie continued, “I recognize in people with disabilities the value of just existing, and the value of how so many beautiful things can be brought to expression through different ways, and the freedom to just be yourself in it.”  As Emrie, Anna, and Pat imagined the continuation of their ministry together, Anna reflected:

“As we go forward, it will be wholeness not just for me, but for many families in the communities in which I am a part. This is a radical place of welcome and love and connecting to God. And in that journey is my own space where the Holy Spirit is working and creating healing and wholeness in me.”

Inspired by the story of Able Together? Interested in learning how your community can become more inclusive of people with all abilities? Reach out to martha@futurechurch.org to get connected to the good folks at Able Together.