Brackett

Eddie Brackett, associate pastor of Old Town Church in Winston-Salem, made the motion, which was seconded by Carlton McDaniel Sr., pastor of Highland Church in Raleigh.

The General Board will likely report its findings to the BSC at its 1998 meeting.

About 95 percent of the 218,000 developmentally disabled persons in North Carolina live at home, according to Brackett. Few have hope of getting into existing group homes, he said.

Brackett said developmentally disabled persons would live together as a family in the group homes. Christian group homes give a "wholistic" approach to services, he said.

"All individuals are encouraged, assisted and trained to grow to their highest level of achievement in all areas of their lives," Brackett said. "This includes physical, emotional, social and spiritual."

Baptist conventions in Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia have established homes for the developmentally disabled, he said.

Homes for the developmentally disabled could be donated, built or purchased, Brackett said. Funding for the group homes could come from a variety of sources, he said.

Brackett said that Christian faith teaches that humans are created in the image of God with worth and value "regardless of one¼s abilities or disabilities."

Brackett¼s motion passed overwhelmingly.

Brackett¼s church has a program for the developmentally disabled, including a Sunday School class. The church has also elected a deacon to the special population.