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Ministering With Autism (Ron Sandison)

At eight years old I was diagnosed with autism. The educational specialists and doctors informed my parents that I would probably never read beyond a seventh grade level, attended college, or have a career. My mom was determined to prove the experts wrong by developing my unique gifts. As Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve kings. He won't serve obscure men.” For me to develop my skills and be a minister I had to overcome five main autism quirks.

By |2017-01-06T16:10:53-05:00February 15th, 2016|Guest posts|

What is Disability Ministry?

Does disability ministry require its own staff person or volunteers? Does it require its own room and time to meet? As a parent of two children with autism, I would just assume that any church that we attended would provide ministry even if there were no other children with special needs. It would never enter my mind that ministry would have to wait until “critical mass.” I am not criticizing churches that have organized disability ministries that have specific events for large groups of people with special needs. I am just saying that is not the only form of disability ministry.

By |2015-03-16T09:56:22-04:00March 16th, 2015|Resources|

BCOB Conference Resources

Thank you to all who attended the Building Communities of Belonging conference at Harvest Bible Chapel in Oakville! We hope that you found the conference encouraging and equipping. As a reminder, if you haven't filled out the feedback survey yet we would encourage you to do so at http://fluidsurveys.com/s/BCOB We know that it can be [...]

By |2014-06-12T14:47:18-04:00May 2nd, 2014|Resources|

The Greater Miracle – Bryan Roe (Video)

Bryan Roe is a youth pastor with Crosspoint Community Church in Wisconsin. At Key Ministry's 2012 Inclusion Fusion he shared the remarkable story of his time with Tourette Syndrome during his youth. On the Disability and Faith Forum we tend to focus on stories where people currently living with disabilities experience and express God's grace and truth, [...]

By |2016-12-21T16:30:07-05:00December 3rd, 2013|Stories, Videos|

Free Online Seminary Course: Disability Ministry

In this free resource, made available by Covenant Theological Seminary, the director of MNA’s Special Needs Ministries offers firsthand experience, practical resources, and creative ideas for helping the church be more effective at ministering to and alongside of those touched by disability. Click here to view this valuable resource Since May 2007, Stephanie O. Hubach [...]

By |2016-12-21T16:01:12-05:00September 16th, 2013|Church ministries, Training|

Essential Audio (Maria’s story, part 4)

On the Joni and Friends Web Site I listened to an MP3 by Will and Arlyn Kantz and they really understand our needs. Our family can relate to almost every behavioral situation they spoke about, the challenges families face and even the fears of future challenges like puberty, programming, the workers, the sensory issues, congregational reactions, etc.

By |2016-12-21T15:37:15-05:00May 17th, 2013|Audio, Church ministries|
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