Although it is good to minister to people and families affected by disabilities, the body of Christ is not complete without the gifts each of these members possess when equipped to serve.
The movie Penguin Bloom is highly refreshing because it opens a window into the physical and emotional pain that is often associated with adjustment to disability [...] Most importantly it shows each member of the family journeying through their own experience of grief related to disability and eventually coming out the other side, not wishing to die but learning to spread their wings and fly with reinvigorated passion for life.
Since COVID-19 began I’ve heard several of my Christian friends say some version of “trust God.” ... Trusting God does not mean I won’t get COVID-19. It means that if I do, He will be with me...
But then I actually talked to the people I was trying to protect. While I was enjoying my coffee and car rides with my wife, some of my people were stuck at home alone, often with no access to our online services.
How did these COVID-19 restrictions affect people with disabilities, many of whom already felt unwelcome or ignored by their church even in normal times?
Currently we can feel as though we are trapped in our homes. However, there is a window out of self-isolation into the experience of many others; those who must always do life at a slower pace.
While in some ways the COVID-19 pandemic is unifying the community around the globe, in others it is legitimating archaic values and hierarchies.
In 1985 the CRC pledged “to be the caring community according to I Corinthians 12, paying special attention to the needs and gifts of people with physical, sensory, mental, and emotional impairments,” and committed to removing physical, architectural, communication, and attitudinal barriers “in order to use the gifts of all people in our life together as God's family.”
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.
New resource for church inclusionLooking for a resource to help church leaders and members welcome and engage people disabilities in the life of the church? : Faith Alive has recently released [Read More]
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