Each Jesus Club has something uniquely special about the way their club is run, a special dinner event, fun activity days, costumes or themed nights. 

At Jesus Club Albion Park, they run a “Dad’s Group” for the parents and carers of the members with intellectual disabilities who attend the Jesus Club program. 

Ian Morrison, from the church ministry team, runs this group every Jesus Club meeting at Albion Park Anglican Church. He and the dad’s spend time talking to each other about the problems they face, the difficulties, and the joys of raising and caring for adult children who have intellectual disabilities. 

Ian spoke about how this group has been useful to him as a parent of younger children with intellectual disabilities, and how the other parents find it useful to share in life together and enjoy each other's company. 

He talks about how the time they spend together is used as a great encouragement to all of them, as they talk and pray together. It is a great way to learn from one another, especially in how to cater for their adult children in developing faith in Jesus, and how they can better support them with answering some difficult questions.

This group started when Ian began working with the church and they wanted to figure out how they could serve at Jesus Club.  

That is when the idea came up to foster to the parents and carers by having a separate group run alongside Jesus Club for when the parents dropped their kids off, especially since most of the parents and carers went to other churches, or not attending a church, and it allowed an opportunity to connect with people, they usually wouldn’t see at normal services. 

Ian mentioned that it grew organically, as parents stayed after dropping their adults children off, and it developed into more of a place where they could pray and support each other. 

Ian sums up the idea behind the “Dad’s Group” ministry: 
“In ministries like Jesus Club, caring for the members is first and foremost. But we have to remember that there are other people around them, in their families, who are trying to figure out big things like where does Jesus fit into their lives and their families.” 

While the Jesus Club program is the core ministry for the adults with intellectual disabilities, Ian reminds us that it’s important to look wider and outward, and to think about the other people in the lives of the members, who we can also support and cater to as God creates new opportunities for us.

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