Pastor Patricia Ramsden and the First Presbyterian Church in Buchanan will be offering a worship service designed for people with special needs this fall. Daily Star photo/CRAIG HAUPERT

BUCHANAN — Children and adults with special needs will soon have their own place to worship the Lord.

The First Presbyterian Church of Buchanan, 115 W. Front St., received a $2,575 grant last week that will fund a worship service aimed at people with special needs, but open to everyone.

The worship service, called “A Circle of Friends,” is expected to begin this fall, likely on Saturday afternoons.

Pastor Patricia Ramsden said there is no such service available in the Niles-Buchanan area.

She said special-needs families often feel as if they are outside the church community because most church services require a lot of sitting and watching.

“That doesn’t fit the learning style of a lot of people with special needs,” she said. “We felt there was a need to reach out to the entire community with the good news they are loved.”

The service will be held in the church’s handicapped-accessible Fellowship Hall, which has a wide-open space that can be manipulated for activities.

Ramsden said she hopes to make the service as interactive as possible. There will always be music and bible stories told in multiple ways.

“They will be able to hear the story and interact with the story,” she said. “It is definitely not a service where people will be expected to sit down.”

Those interested in the service can contact Ramsden by phone at (269) 695-6151 or by email at firstprespastor@qtm.net.