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.
In partnership with Christian Reformed Disability Concerns, the Christian Learning Centers (CLC) network has a helpful list of practical tips and resources to foster accessibility and inclusion which may be critical to a sense of belonging in your church.
My prayer for all five our children, those with and without autism, is that God would reveal himself in a way that they would understand.
Thank God for Brian, for my encounter with him and my continued relationships with people who are considered to be disabled. Brian is a whole person, with his likes and dislikes, his own personality and his own ways of contributing to the broader community.
I know, as a parent of two children with autism, that it is much easier to just stay home. The fact that this family attends church regularly is already a "win."
The Lenten season serves as a powerful reminder that no matter how much I endure in this life, Jesus' sacrifice was much greater. It is humbling to recognize that my challenges do not qualify me for a monopoly on suffering. I am comforted and grateful for the fact that Jesus suffered more and yet overcame.
Putting people into categories goes right back to the Bible, as in the New Testament the early church had conflict between the Jews and the Gentiles and the church could not agree on how to achieve unity. It is clear from the Old Testament that God intended all along that people love Him and live at peace with God and others.
Baptism is an expression of a person’s love for and commitment to Christ: A recognition that we are broken and sinful and are in need of a Saviour. I believe this and wanted to be baptized. There was one crucial problem; due to medical reasons I can no longer go under water!
As my youth pastor lifted my chair and me onto the bus he quite literally embodied God's strength, breaking down barriers to belonging.