Our team at Key Ministry is grateful for all of the kind words and encouragement we’ve received about this year’s Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. We’re grateful for the passion and commitment demonstrated by our thirty-three faculty speakers who produced what I think we can all agree are fabulous videos that beautifully articulate “Why” inclusive ministry to kids and adults with disabilities is so important!

On Sunday, I’ll be doing a wrap-up of the conference and share some thoughts about “next steps” in light of what’s been shared and learned this week. Today, I want to highlight some presentations that address a personal cause of mine…the inclusion of kids and families at church who struggle with mental illness.

Cara Daily (Inner Health Ministries, Key Ministry): Do I Have to Have Surgery to Open My Heart to Jesus? Cara’s video is a fabulous resource on communicating abstract faith concepts in ministry with kids with autism spectrum disorders.

Jolene Philo (Different Dream Parenting): It’s Not Just For Soldiers Anymore: PTSD and Kids With Special Needs. PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is an all too common condition experienced by children and teens as a result of abuse, neglect, or on occasion, the need to repeatedly undergo painful or intrusive medical procedures. Jolene’s presentation addresses six common misconceptions about PTSD in children.

Rhett Smith (Auxano Counseling): Reframing Anxiety: The Inclusion of Anxiety in Our Church Communities. Rhett did a fabulous interview in the Inclusion Fusion magazine on his new book, The Anxious Christian. His presentation touches on the ways in which God might use our anxiety for good, and offers practical suggestions for helping others with anxiety to be more fully included in our church communities.

Matthew Stanford (Mental Health Grace Alliance): Viewing Mental Illness Through the Eyes of Faith. Dr. Stanford’s presentation provides a Biblical and a clinical perspective on mental illness and how Christians are called to respond to persons with mental illness. In addition, he discusses the essential role of the church in supporting those recovering from mental illness, strategies for creating resources for mental health supportive care within the church, and resources to help families impacted by the mental health system to navigate the challenges of the healthcare system and everyday life.

Friday’s schedule for Live Chat…

12:00 PM-1:00 PM: Beth Guckenberger

1:00 PM-2:00 PM: Mike Beates

2:00 PM-3:00 PM: Jim Hukill

The Inclusion Fusion 2012 Special Needs Ministry Web Summit Magazine is now available for download. The free magazine is 51 pages long, and contains schedules for live chat sessions and Tweetchats, instructions for participating in interactive sessions, biographies of all of our faculty, and in-depth interviews with a number of our speakers.

The Inclusion Fusion 2012 Special Needs Ministry Web Summit Magazine is now available for download. The free magazine is 51 pages long, and contains schedules for live chat sessions and Tweetchats, instructions for participating in interactive sessions, biographies of all of our faculty, and in-depth interviews with a number of our speakers.

Finally, the folks from Pajama Conference are making available for sale a boxed set of DVDs containing all of the video presentations and downloads from the conference. Boxed sets will be available through the Inclusion Fusion website as well as the Pajama Conference website. The complete set of conference videos is available for the reduced  price of $39.99 during the Web Summit, increasing to $49.99 upon completion of Inclusion Fusion.  The boxed set is a great gift for churches desirous of a resource for training staff and volunteers, as well as for families caring for a child or adult with special needs. Pajama Conference uses the money to fund free ministry training, including the Children’s Ministry Web Summit and Inclusion Fusion. Click here to order…