Ministering With Autism (Stephen J Bedard)
What is it like to be a person with autism and to be a pastor of a church? That was a question that I was curious about until one day I found out that I had been one for fourteen years.
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.
Bethesda LC and church equipping: #BPDMchat and Ash Wednesday video
Bethesda offers a number of exciting resources and opportunities for churches. Check out a couple of examples here!
Advent, red lipstick, and facing the world (Lorna Bradley)
I thought I had outgrown that keen sense of yearning, but then I became a mother of a child on the autism spectrum. I found a whole different level of yearning for all of the answers to be revealed as I contemplated an unknown future.
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.
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, [Read More]
Leading a Special Needs Ministry – Amy Fenton Lee (Book)
You may already be involved with special needs ministry at your church, or it might be something that you know is important but don't have many supports in place. Regardless, we [Read More]
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 [Read More]
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 [Read More]
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.