It’s February, and we’ve all somewhat settled into 2025 and are ready to look ahead to what the year will bring. To help you prepare for your church’s steps of accessibility and inclusive events, we’ve created a Ministry Planning Calendar! In this episode, Sandra Peoples will walk you through ideas for planning ahead and praying for what God will do in 2025.
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.
This blog post and podcast episode are being published shortly before Christmas, 2023. I love the Christmas music that is sung and shared this time of year. Recently, one song in particular got me thinking about Jesus’ mother Mary. Do you think Mary realized that in addition to being the mother of His Son, that she had her own ministry purpose? Stay tuned to hear what we can glean from Mary’s life that can help you find God’s ministry purpose for you, in a life that includes disabilities.
Have you ever planned an event and it wasn’t the success you thought it would be? Or maybe you are feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list even though it’s work that God has called you to? Beth has five strategies to share that just might help if you are in a season of being bummed out or burned out. She will provide words of encouragement and some practical steps to get you back on track and, hopefully, in a healthy and productive place.
Reverse inclusion is a class designed for teens and young adults with disabilities that invites typical teenagers and young adults in for the purpose of friendship. It’s for teens like my son James who wouldn’t enjoy being part of our youth group. That environment isn’t safe for him and the curriculum doesn’t fit his needs. So instead we’ve created a class that is a good fit for him and our other teenagers! Listen to this podcast to hear about our strategies to make reverse inclusion work for you and your church!
In this week’s episode, Garett shares a follow up story on a message from a previous episode while also discussing how the apostle Paul’s words of encouragement to the church at Philippi should also be a message of encouragement to anyone on the journey to take the hope of Jesus Christ and the love of his church to the special needs community.
Knowing and understanding what the Bible says about disability is pivotal as we strive to be better equipped for the lifelong journey with our friends and families in the disability community. In this week’s episode, Garett discusses the topic of disability theology while focusing on a few verses from Scripture that have been helpful for him and his family.
