“Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still. Let this be our song. No one sits alone. Sitting side-by-side, draw the circle wide.” … Read More →
Inshallah Choir has welcomed people of various genders, ages, races, ethnicities and musical abilities. It is now a place where at least 130 singers belong. … Read More →
The wide range of less privileged guests Jesus adds to the VIP list: the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, serves as an indication that interacting with a wide cross-section of the diverse people that God created and loves is important to becoming Christ-like. … Read More →
In today’s world, people with disabilities are largely ‘othered’, and there’s movement of self-advocacy afoot among them. There’s no telling what can happen when people unite across differences. … Read More →
What if I told you that the Christian church has been silencing a prophetic presence in our midst? … Read More →
Are we deliberate in our own lives to welcome someone with a disability to our table? Are we careful to recognize that person by their name, who they are, rather than their disability? … Read More →
“Just come, just get here.”
Sometimes, the best first step is invitation. Who knows how many people don’t attend on any given Sunday simply because no one has asked them?
The video below, from Harvest Bible Chapel in Oakville, Ontario, is an excellent example of an invitation for families with children with special needs. It also goes beyond the invitation to say we have prepared a place for you. Not only are you welcome here, but we have anticipated your arrival and have arranged the additional support you need.
For more information on the Building Communities of Belonging conference on May 3rd at Harvest, you can download the poster, follow the facebook event, or register today! Until the end of March, buy one ticket to register and bring someone else along for free.
1 Corinthians 12: 12-26 Paul writes to the Corinthians that our unique gifts, especially the gifts of those that appear to be weaker, are indispensableto the healthy functioning of the Body of Christ: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need … Read More →
We allow Michael to have baths at certain times, and then we wrestle him out of the bathroom at other times – compliance is an issue which he can’t understand! Sometimes we give in because, well, it’s just easier.
When he’s in the water he’s happy and we’re happy. … Read More →
Our church has done many things right in creating a safe and accommodating place for children, including a Plan to Protect® policy, offering to provide workers and they have even offered seminars on children with disabilities. Outside of the children’s programming, though, I know of nothing specifically in place for adults with disabilities except general acceptance. … Read More →