A special needs Sunday school class is setting the stage to showcase a Bible study program this weekend for its home church.

New Mission Sunday school class at 15^th Street Church of God will present its annual program Sunday at 6 p.m. The class, which meets on Wednesday nights for Bible study, is made up of adult church members, ages 27 to 87, with developmental and/or physical disabilities — a group that has been built through almost two decades of outreach and programming, according to Terry Conner, who teaches the class.

Conner said Sunday’s program focuses on what the class has learned over the past year and features a lineup of gospel songs and sign language performances. A Christian contemporary band will accompany the group for hymns such as “This is the Day” and “I’ll Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving in my Heart.”

“All (of us) have the capability of learning about the Lord and that Jesus loves them. We will be ministering with our program and with song. Come and see what God can do with a willing vessel. Just because some people have a disability, doesn’t mean we can’t do things for the Lord,” Conner said.

The program will be followed by refreshments and a meet and greet with the class members, Conner said.

Conner said this marks 19 years of the special needs Sunday school ministry, which has grown from three members at its start to about 26 members. The class is a continuation of a ministry Conner holds near and dear to her heart and memorializes her daughter, Missy, who was born with Down syndrome and passed away in 1997. At that time, Conner went to the church’s Christian Education Board with the idea of starting the class for those with special needs, and the idea was not only accepted but also encouraged throughout the church. Since, Conner has taught the class with the help of coworkers Shelby Hodges and Thelma Chauncey, she said.

“I do this as a legacy to Missy,” Conner said. “She was a Christian, and she knew the Lord. The fact she had the opportunity to be in a church where she was welcomed and supported, I just felt like I shouldn’t just let her memory die. I wanted to continue this to keep her legacy going and to be able to work and teach with other adults (with disabilities). It’s about getting to know them and what their disabilities are and working with them on their level to bring them to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His love for them.”

Conner said the class also aids those in need through several missions: saving soda can tabs to benefit the Ronald McDonald House; toiletries for the Coastal Pregnancy Center; collecting Box Tops and soup labels for a local Christian school and eyeglasses for mission trips and The Blind Center of North Carolina. The group also sends letters of encouragement to two young men who are currently in a correctional facility, and helps out with Relay for Life and initiatives that benefit Ruth’s House. Each Christmas, they send Christmas cards to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

“Projects throughout the year that come up, we always try to support them with a small monetary gift,” Conner said. “We’re always looking for ways to reach out in the community to help others.