In our 100th episode, Sandra Peoples shares three ways to increase ministry visibility on your church website. Most disability families are going to visit your church website before they visit your actual church. Does your website communicate everything they need to know for a smooth visit?
“I shared my family’s hurt and pain of feeling excluded and unaccepted by the very church that I, as its pastor, am called to love and serve. I shared offensive words shared with me regarding my autistic son’s needs. I shared how these actions created a wall between our family and the church. We felt unwelcome.” Shannon Blosser shares about church hurt, and where the church can grow.
Beth Golik and Sandra Peoples give a Disability & the Church 2024 Conference Recap that happened this past week in Orlando, FL.
Dr. Steve Grcevich sits down and interviews Dr. Lamar Hardwick on his new book How Ableism Fuels Racism. This is Part 1 of a 3-part series! Dr. Lamar Hardwick will be speaking at Disability & the Church 2024 Conference in Orlando, FL May 1-3. Go to www.keyministry.org/datc2024 to register now!
Recently, Catherine had a conversation with Dr. Jim and Heather Sells, authors of the new book “Beyond the Clinical Hour: How Counselors Can Partner with the Church to Address the Mental Health Crisis.” Jim, Heather and their co-author Dr. Amy Trout offer a valuable resource to both mental health professionals and ministry leaders as a way to meet the heartfelt mental health needs impacting both churches and our culture. Take a listen to this thought-provoking conversation.
As members of the disability community or the parents/caregivers who love them, we know the Church is not overtly welcoming. The right body of believers is out there, but they may not know it…yet. They may not even be able to understand…yet. But they will be willing to learn. Consider this your formal invitation to be sure of what you cannot see.
Strength in Numbers is a slogan that not only helped create a winning culture for an NBA team, but it also echoes the message from Scripture in Ecclesiastes 4 where a “cord of three strands is not easily broken.” In this week’s episode, Garett Wall examines how strength in numbers and the cord of three can serve as the foundation for helping your church build a pathway to belonging for adults with disabilities.
Effective ministry for the disability community is one that is built on the belief that your church can and should be pursuing lifelong family ministry for our friends and families impacted by disability. Through his journey as the father of a child with disabilities, Garett Wall has experienced how God does the equipping for ministry and he loves encouraging churches to be more prepared for lifelong family ministry for families like his. In this week’s episode, Garett shares how God’s plan for him and his family came full circle through one of the families at his church.
As we move from a knowledge-hungry world to one saturated with information, it is more important than ever to stop teaching children lots of memorized facts—but instead, instill them with the ability to discern information with wisdom. I also believe that even children with learning challenges and disabilities can cultivate discernment, especially as we show them through our examples and teach them to lean into the Holy Spirit for help.
Is there a specific situation or environment or activity that is stressful to one particular child in your ministry area, but is not a challenge to others? Social stories are not a new concept for students on the autism spectrum. But, perhaps you’ve never considered using them in the church setting. In this week’s episode, Beth shares examples of a few social stories to add to your toolbox.
