The air is getting a little cooler, the kids are back at school, the leaves are starting to turn color and the Browns remind us through their play that we all live in a fallen world that needs to be redeemed. All are signals that it’s time to begin a new ministry year. Our crew at Key Ministry has been hard at work making preparations. Here’s what we have in store for you this Fall…

First, the blog. Beginning next Tuesday, September 17th, we’re going to be launching a new blog series,  Trauma and Kids…A Primer for Pastors, Church Staff and Parents that will run on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in September and October. In this series, we’ll examine the types of trauma children are exposed to, risk factors for childhood trauma (genetic, familial, environmental), neurobiological changes that occur in response to childhood trauma, symptoms associated with trauma and treatment strategies for kids who’ve experienced trauma. In this series, we’ll also explore the impact of abandonment and neglect upon children and teens.

Beginning this coming Sunday, we’ll be launching a new feature…Faces of the Movement. Every Sunday evening through the Fall, we’ll be introducing you through a post or interview with a pastor, church leader or family member of a child with a disability with a unique perspective to share on topics related to disability and faith. We hope you’ll discover new leaders and new resources with a shared passion for including kids with disabilities and their families in the life of the local church.

Next…our crew will be making a number of live appearances this Fall…

Rebecca Hamilton will be leading our team to Nashville for a JAM Session on Saturday, September 21st at Lakeshore Christian Church, 5434 Bell Forge Lane East, Antioch, TN. Our JAM sessions are regional trainings designed for children’s pastors, student pastors, church leaders and key volunteers. This J.A.M. session will provide participants with an intensive, one-day training experience that will prepare them to lead ministry to kids with hidden disabilities in their churches, including sessions on including kids with disabilities in age-appropriate children’s or student ministry activities. For more information, or to register for the Nashville JAM Session, click here!

Next, Key Ministry Board member and best-selling author Rhonda Martin will be speaking at the F.U.S.E/One Accord Conference, sponsored by Joni and Friends Ohio. F.U.S.E. 2013 is the premier regional conference in Ohio dedicated to building bridges in disability ministry to churches, those working in the disability or mental health fields, and anyone touched by disability, with a special emphasis on African-American and other minority populations. F.U.S.E. is taking place on October 4th -5th (Friday and Saturday) at Gender Road Christian Church in Canal Winchester, Ohio (Columbus area). Click here for more information or to register for the conference.

Katie Wetherbee will be doing two, two hour “Half Track” presentations at the Group KidMin (Children’s Ministry) Conference in Columbus, Ohio on October 11th-14th. Half-Tracks offer two 2-hour sessions per topic for a total of four hours focused on learning, discussion, and application. They allow for depth and breadth–a mix between the exploration of Deeper Learning Tracks and the broader scope of workshops.

Families affected by special needs are significantly less likely to attend church on a regular basis. Katie’s half-track will help you turn that around. In her half-track, you’ll discover how common disabilities affect faith development and cause obstacles for church attendance, delve into family dynamics and discuss ways to communicate effectively with parents of children with special needs, practice easy-to-implement strategies for welcoming and teaching kids with special needs and review behavior management, classroom culture and curriculum modifications. Click here for more information, or to register for the conference.

One more thing…Inclusion Fusion. We’ll have an announcement about our plans for the Disability Ministry Web Summit in the next week or so, along with additional FREE resources available from last year’s conference.

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Our Key Ministry website is a resource through which church staff, volunteers, family members and caregivers can register for upcoming training events, request access to our library of downloadable ministry resources, contact our staff with training or consultation requests, access the content of any or all of our three official ministry blogs, or contribute their time, talent and treasure to the expansion of God’s Kingdom through the work of Key Ministry.