DATE: Thursday, June 12, 1997               TAG: 9706110166

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 08   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  108 lines

HAPPY HOUR DRAWS MENTALLY DISABLED PEOPLE FROM MILES AROUND FLOCK TO THIS SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS.

It started in the 1960s, with a mother's desire that her mentally disabled daughter have an opportunity to worship God in Christian fellowship just like anybody else.

Now, more than 30 years later, dozens of mentally disabled adults of all faiths and ages from throughout Hampton Roads congregate at Norfolk's Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church each Sunday morning at 9:45 to discuss weekly lessons of faith, sing God's praises and learn about Christian values.

Known as the ``Happy Hour'' Sunday school class, the program is one of only a few such Christian education programs in the area that caters specifically to the mentally disabled.

That it's survived - and thrived - during the last three decades has been a testament to the power of commitment from parishioners and the strength of spirit from class members.

``Some of them have traveled all the way from North Carolina to get here Sunday mornings,'' noted Eileen Ballance, who has taught the class for more than a decade at the church, at 288 E. Little Creek Road. ``And most of them have been coming since the program started.''

Whether praying in the pews each Sunday, helping run pancake dinners or collecting food and clothing for the needy, the class has been an inspiration by example, parishioners contend. They have also contributed to dispelling many prejudicial stereotypes by showing others what true Christian love is all about.

``The Happy Hour class has done a lot more for the church than the church has done for them,'' said William Pope, 82, one of the program's founders and long-time teacher of the group. ``It's helped the church membership's general attitude. They see how this class accepts everybody as individuals . . . just as they are. I don't think they know how to mistreat people.''

Added Ballance: ``Having them a part of all our activities has made our church a much more caring church.''

Initially, however, there was some hesitancy among church members to bring the mentally disabled under their roof. Although many of the members within the church had disabled children, they were seldom seen in public.

``It was a different time,'' explained Ballance. ``The disabled simply weren't mainstreamed back then.''

If fact, it was during a home visit with a parishioner that Pope and another church leader were first approached with the idea of creating a Sunday school program for the mentally disabled.

``I didn't even know (this family) had a disabled daughter at the time,'' he recalled. ``I had never seen her before. We got to talking and (the mother) said there wasn't anything appropriate for her daughter at the church. She thought it would be beneficial to have something offered on the daughter's level because she simply didn't understand the regular worship service.''

Pope and his fellow representative took the matter back to the church leadership, but few were receptive to the idea.

``Some of the members seemed to feel they weren't sure they wanted that kind of program,'' recalled Pope. ``It took a couple of years before they got around to accepting it.''

Eventually, however, a handful of mentally disabled adults were assembled together on Sunday mornings before the worship service to learn biblical stories, discuss value lessons and sing songs. Initially, a curriculum of children's literature was used, but the volunteer teachers discovered ``they were above that,'' noted Pope. Before long, the team of teachers tailored lessons specially for the Happy Hour group by mixing elements from the United Methodist Church's adult and youth Sunday School offerings.

For the first decade, class members remained segregated from worshiping with the larger congregation. The minister at the time would bring Holy Communion to them in their classroom.

But by the 1970s, times had changed, and the disabled were increasingly mainstreamed into all aspects of society. So, too, they gradually became an integral part of the church's community.

With the arrival of a forward-thinking minister, they began attending worship service and receiving Communion along with other church members. They also began helping with outreach programs and participating in fund-raisings, social events and other church activities.

``When Rev. John Hamm came, that was a turning point as far as the church was concerned,'' recalled Ballance. ``Up to that point, there were people in the congregation who had never seen our disabled members before. That changed.''

As church members increasingly embraced the Happy Hour class, the word spread throughout the disabled community that Wesley Memorial had made a special place for them. Before long, disabled adults from throughout Hampton Roads, and from various denominations, began attending Sunday school at the church.

``They started recruiting among themselves,'' noted Ballance.

Today, the church offers a special Vacation Bible School, social events and musical programs especially for class members.

``It's fun here and nice,'' noted Bonnie Baynor, who has been attending the class for decades. ``I take the preacher's hand and I like my friends here.''

On a recent Sunday, Baynor and about 15 other class members gathered in a church classroom to discuss a lesson from the Book of Revelations, under the direction of Ballance, about maintaining Christian values in everyday life.

``What have you all done to honor God this week?'' the teacher asked.

``I've been taking care of my mama,'' noted Joanna Moore. ``She's been sick.''

``I helped my mama with the dishes,'' added Baynor. ``She needs my help.''

After awhile, they bowed their heads and prayed for their loved ones. Then Dana Conant, impeccably dressed in a lavender skirt, crisp white blouse and pumps, bowed her head, clasped her hands together and led the class in a rendition of ``Kum-bah-yah.''

``Sometimes you don't really know if they're picking something up, then some weeks down the road, something will come up, and you realize they're truly getting it,'' noted Ballance. ``It's easy to get involved with them. They make you realize what faith is really all about.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP

Bonnie Baynor, center, joins in the prayer during the Happy Hour

Sunday school class at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church.

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