Our Story

It all started when…Samantha Jones had the privilege of meeting some wonderful families and individuals with disabilities, who wanted to attend the church where she was working. At that time, unfortunately, these families could not attend because the church was unable to accommodate their needs. This opened Samantha’s eyes and her heart. These families wanted what everyone else wanted, to learn about God, and to be a part of a wonderful, loving, and giving community. But because of God-given differences, they could not. Why? They were not seen. And because they were not seen, they were not considered when plans were made inside the church. Samantha realized that sadly, inclusion is often assumed, but not attained. After meeting these families, God spoke to her. He said, "I am going to show you how to create a ministry." And He did. God allowed Samantha to play a part in changing one church’s culture from unintentional unawareness, to starting their journey of inclusion. Incorporating an inclusion ministry allowed these families and individuals to learn about God's love, grow in their faith, use their God-given talents to serve others, and ultimately become a part of a loving church family. From there, Samantha felt a calling to not stop with just one church. And so began Benevolence United…