Sacred Ground banquet highlights gratitude, growth and life-changing impact

Sacred Ground held its annual Thanksgiving Dinner Nov. 18 at Heritage Center near Winesburg, where a packed house dined, fellowshipped and learned more about why Sacred Ground continues to play a vital role in meeting the needs of individuals with special needs and their families in both Holmes and Wayne counties.

Following a welcome by Rhoda Mast, board president, and introductions from Sarah Ecker, director of development, participant Brittany Miller provided a prayer before the meal.

A video of people arriving at the two sites at Grace Church in Berlin and Fairlawn Church in Apple Creek and a second video of both staff and individuals offering gratitude set the stage for church leaders at each facility to provide insight into what Sacred Ground has added to their daily lives.

Grace Church Pastor Chad Stutzman said the organization has blessed his church in many ways, noting the daily smiles are uplifting and energizing.

“From the first time I heard about Sacred Ground, I loved the vision,” Stutzman said. “The part I love is that helping individuals and families to experience joy and live life well is really cool.”

He said his church partnering with Sacred Ground was a very easy agreement to make, and seeing the vision of Sacred Ground play itself out daily is inspiring.

Duane Detweiler, pastor at Fairlawn Mennonite Church, said hosting Sacred Ground has been a true blessing as lives are touched, both through the interaction of the staff and participants and the parents and caregivers.

“One of the things I told my staff is that we are not nearly as much of a blessing to them as they are to us,” Detweiler said.

Perhaps the most touching moments of the evening came when three couples with participants at Sacred Ground shared insight into what the organization has meant to them.

Sacred Ground Director Griffin Long served as the emcee, asking them specific questions about their experience.

Aaron and Rachel Yoder, parents of Kasey Yoder; Roger and Vi Hershberger, parents of Brooke Hershberger; and Leroy and Esther Miller, parents of Eddie Miller, gave testimony about the impact Sacred Ground has made in their lives.

“It’s an honor to be part of the family at Sacred Ground,” Leroy Miller said. “(Sacred Ground) has had a big impact on Eddie. It has also helped my wife do those in-between things she hasn’t been able to do before.”

He said he wouldn’t hesitate to tell anyone to trust the staff at Sacred Ground.

“One day he came home, probably three or four weeks into his time here, and he said, 'It’s amazing. These people understand me,’ and that’s something he never said before,” Leroy Miller said of his son. "He’s learning skills we never knew existed.”

Roger Hershberger said this was an answer to prayer for them, and the programs and communal atmosphere have been fulfilling for their daughter.

He said the activities Sacred Ground provides have helped Brooke — who at one point doctors said would never walk — gain incredible balance and aided her growth in walking.

“Every time I see her walk, it is an incredible feeling,” Hershberger said. “She also used to not like to be in crowds, but now she enjoys it and her interaction is so much better. We thought for a long time she had plateaued and couldn’t do much more, but we discovered she can do more, and we’ve seen that growth since she started (at Sacred Ground).”

He said the best part about Sacred Ground is it is steeped in faith, and knowing his daughter is in a safe place is a relief.

“Our daughter is nonverbal, and she can’t come home and tell us what is going on, but we can see that when she comes home and has a big smile on her face that she had a good day at Sacred Ground,” Hershberger said.

“We were looking for a social aspect for Kasey after high school, and that it is faith-based was a big draw,” Rachel Yoder said.

She said it also has given her more free time to take care of other important things she was finding little time to do.

Just as importantly, she said it has given her son more leadership skills, leading him to take initiative to do more things at home.

“I see his skills growing in his daily living and highly recommend it for any caregiver,” Rachel Yoder said. “This has been exactly what we needed for both Kasey and for us.”

Long finished the evening by sharing about where Sacred Ground is moving going forward. He spoke about Jesus setting the example for serving others when he humbled himself to wash the feet of his disciples.

“The primary purpose of this dinner is about gratitude,” Long said. “There’s no greater reason to show gratitude than having our Savior model true, humble service. Second, one of our ongoing prayers is that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. We may not have the whole world in our hands like Jesus did, but we are called to use our hands and feet the way Jesus showed us. It is that spirit I see in our staff and participants every day at Sacred Ground.”

He spoke about the number of opportunities the organization has given to provide teaching, leadership, growth, activities, transportation and more to participants while providing respite for caregivers.

He also shared about the growth Sacred Ground has experienced from last November to this event, with participants growing from 37-60 and the staff growing from 15-24.

“But we’re not here to celebrate statistics. We’re here to celebrate the people behind those statistics,” Long said.

To learn more about Sacred Ground, visit www.thesacredground.org.