Keith Dow
Keith Dow lives near Ottawa, serving as Manager of Organizational and Spiritual Life with Karis Disability Services. He holds his PhD in caregiving ethics from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He is the author of Formed Together: Mystery, Narrative, and Virtue in Christian Caregiving (Baylor, 2021). Keith Dow is a credentialed Pastor with BIC Canada for his role with Karis Disability Services, where he supports the spiritual health of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and equips churches to be more accessible and hospitable.
What a great opportunity to intentionally celebrate the gifts of people of all abilities in your church community! To make this easy, Christian Horizons has put together a number of resources, including videos, a service guide, and a complete sermon around the theme of "EveryBody Belongs."
Developed in collaboration with Christian Horizons, this certificate program will equip people to foster belonging in all aspects of ministry and outreach with people living with a disability and their families. Engaging modules address practical, theological, and relational aspects of being the Body of Christ as people of unique abilities – together.
After several years of teaching Kim and her friends, Jill-who is also a special education teacher-began to plan a special needs curriculum series. We saw the need for a robust Bible curriculum, and Jill firmly believed we could create a complete Bible curriculum that involved real Bible study.
When churches utilize universal design principles in planning—whether for discipleship, worship, community engagement, leadership development, or facilities—they create ministries where everyone can belong and participate.
"What if the opportunities to experience the joy of community and the familiarity of long-ago learned rituals were open to them at any time, just like anyone else…Imagine if all of these people could participate in synagogue seders or at peoples’ homes."
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" ~ 1 John 3:1a