The movement among churches seeking to become more inclusive to families of kids with special needs is not confined to Mainline Protestant, Baptist, Pentecostal and non-denominational congregations. Amanda Mooney shares her expertise in ministry to kids in a large Catholic church in her presentation, “We know we should…but HOW?”

Amanda received her Bachelor’s degree, majoring in Multi-handicapped Education from Bowling Green State University, along with a Master’s Degree in Education, with a concentration on Early Education of the Handicapped. Amanda spent five years as a Special Needs Preschool Teacher in Ashtabula and Wood Counties in Ohio, and was honored as Teacher of the Year in 1998 by the Northeast Ohio Special Education Resource Center.

Amanda has been a member of St. Gabriel’s Parish in Concord, OH for 33 years, and has served on staff as the Principal of St. Gabriel’s Parish School of Religion (PSR) since 2008. In her staff position, Amanda oversees a team of 40 volunteers offering programming for 300 children in grades 1-5 on a weekly basis, along with a comprehensive Special Needs ministry serving members of the church of all ages. This past summer, her team completed their second “One Day Voyage,” a unique event in which Vacation Bible School was used as a model to create a “mini version” that would be compatible and comfortable for kids with disabilities and offer a respite experience for the families. This was made possible because of the partnership and training of her team by Key Ministry.

Amanda employs a visionary approach to religious education to more fully involve parents as the lead teachers in their child’s faith journey. She lives in Concord, OH with her husband, Dave and their two kids, Tommy, 9 and Lilly, 6.

Amanda’s presentation is designed to help you get “unstuck” when the task of getting started on this new important journey seems too big! Once you have gotten on board with the mission of serving ALL the children and families in your church, it can still be overwhelming to think about HOW to get started. This session will help participants see and explore ways to include children with special needs in existing church programs, develop action steps for launching new programming while working within the curriculum or catechesis requirements of their church or Diocese. Participants will come away with concrete ideas, action steps and resources to start ministry in their local church.

Interested in joining a bunch of folks who are passionate about families of kids with special needs coming to know and love Jesus Christ?  An event in which any church leader, volunteer or parent anywhere in the world who shares the same passion and has access to the Internet through a computer, tablet or smart phone can join in? That’s Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s First Annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, featuring this year’s Keynote Speaker, Chuck Swindoll. And it’s all available to you for free! Register here for the Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, coming this November 3rd-5th.