Story of Faith 

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A Message of Hope

​Doctors told a young mother that her unborn child's life was Not Worth Saving. With the determination that mother found through faith, Matthew thrived, and he did live. He spoke without talking; he loved, laughed, and made friends -- all without ever saying a single word. Matthew was a light and joy to those who encountered him. In Not Worth Saving, Ann Joyner shares the story of her son Matthew's twenty-one miraculous and grace-filled years -- and, unwittingly, reveals so much more about the number of lives and hearts Matthew changed, simply by being alive.​

When Matthew Joyner and his family joined the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, no program was available to meet his needs. Matthew, a special needs student, brought a new vision to Resurrection to open the doors of the church to individuals with disabilities. That vision became a reality in March of 1993 and it was named Matthew's Ministry. Matthew's parents, Ann and Jerry Joyner, talk about their journey with Matthew's Ministry and Resurrection. 



Matthew is forever memorialized at Church of the Ressurection as he is the only Ressurection member depicted  in their world renowned stained glass window.

Ann Joyner has proved with a two-year secretarial degree that a passionate, determined and stubborn mother who asks for God's help needn't have an MA, PhD, or MD to turn a life "not worth saving" into one that touches and saves thousands of others. Ann is a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and friend who inspires people to live lives that hold joy and meaning.


Ann and her husband, Jerry, live in the Kansas

City area. They are active in ministries founded

for, and in memory of their son Matthew, and

are passionate about individuals with special

needs everywhere.