Fairfield pastor returns after rehab for spinal chord injury

FAIRFIELD, Ill. Craig Scott, the pastor of First Christian Church in Fairfield, Ill., returned home Sunday after spending more than six months in rehabilitation for a severe spinal cord injury.

The congregation was surprised when Scott appeared at Sunday evenings church service to greet church members for the first time since last June. A special lift was brought into the church to hoist his wheelchair onto the stage so he could address his congregants.

Scott, 46, was accompanying a youth group on a mission trip to Puerto Rico when he was injured. He was with a group of kids at the beach on June 22 when he attempted to body surf and struck his head. He was taken first to a hospital in Puerto Rico and later transferred to a hospital in Miami, Fla. Eventually, he was moved to a hospital in Chicago where he has been for the past several weeks.

While Scott has returned to his home in Fairfield, he must still undergo physical therapy at a rehabilitation facility in Evansville three times a week. He suffers from substantial paralysis on his right side and remains wheelchair bound.

While he was away undergoing treatment for his injuries, church members remodeled his home, making it handicapped accessible. Scott told church members he does not know at this time when he will be able to return to his duties as a minister.

A native of Hammond, Ind., Scott has served as senior minister at the Fairfield church since December 2004.

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Fairfield pastor returns after rehab for spinal chord injury