Elaina Marchenko sits down with Rachael VerMeulen from A Little Extra Love Ministries to talk about the reality for families affected by special needs, the need for disability support in Colorado, and what Rachael will be sharing at Disability & the Church Conference.
The church is a place for everyone, yet for many families with neurodivergent children, attending church events or services can be a challenging experience. Children with sensory and communication differences may need unique accommodations to feel comfortable, included, and valued. This season, as your church plans special services and activities, consider these three simple yet impactful ways to create a more welcoming environment for neurodivergent kids and their families.
Larah Roberts sits down with Beth Golik and talks about the annual Night to Shine Event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. Beth gives a peek into what the event looks like and also shares how your church can prepare and host one of these events in your city!
Elaina sits down with Andrea Roseman from Access Ministry to discuss the wins of 2024, the changes she wants to make in 2025, and the way the Lord is working in and through Access Ministry.
Sandra Peoples shares praise reports from churches across the country as we celebrate what God is doing through accessible churches. She also shares the biggest challenges churches say they are facing in the new year and lists resources to help with each challenge.
Mark Arnold belongs to the Disabled Children’s Partnership, a UK-based organization that recently released the results of a series of surveys of UK families with children and young people with disabilities. The results are stark: the impact of the 18-months of the COVID-19 pandemic has been harrowing.
My children have autism. The children at our church are great with our kids: patient, kind, accepting and open to them. I am thankful, but—that is not enough. I want them to have authentic, organic friendships with people their own age. Here are four questions to help churches be places where the neurotypical and neurodivergent can grow together.
Guest blogger Kristin Evans notes that it’s not practical to expect every church to be able to provide for families with special needs in every way. But she encourages churches to consider one or two ideas for how your congregation might be able to better support persons with special needs and disabilities. Here are five ways your church can prepare to love special needs families.
Parents of children with special needs are often labeled negatively: ‘troublemakers,’ ‘confrontational,’ ‘needy,’ ‘over-sharing.’ The reason we (as yes, I’m one too) can sometimes pick up some of these negative labels is that we won’t take no for an answer when it comes to our child. Why do we enter into conversations, meetings and appointments with our boxing gloves firmly on? Because the world cannot understand.
Tis the season when caring ministry leaders and volunteers typically try to do some regrouping. The Bible has generous reassurance for leaders caring for individuals and families affected by special needs. I pray you know the tremendous value of the work you do and find refreshment in God’s truth here!
Many young people with learning disabilities do not have adequate preparation for adult life. The reason sometimes is that people mistakenly assume that having learning disabilities means not being able to learn. This is not the case. Rather, it means that they have difficulty learning. To help with this needed preparation, I have just published a teaching pack for parents, educators and church leaders.
