Category Archives: Families

One Family’s Journey in the Bible Belt…guest post from Stephanie Prosser

Stephanie offered to share her family’s story with our readers. It serves as a stark reminder that while great strides are being made in opening more churches to families of kids with special medical, behavioral, emotional and developmental needs, there continue to be cities of substantial size here in the U.S. where families impacted by disability have nowhere to go on Sunday mornings if they wish to worship as a family. Here’s Stephanie… Continue reading

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“Doing church” when kids struggle with social communication…

Let’s consider the challenges a kid would experience who has difficulty picking up on body language or the meaning behind the tone and inflection of speech if their parents decided to start attending your church. Continue reading

Posted in Autism, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Ministry Environments, Spiritual Development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Including kids and teens with mental illness at church…Grasping the relationship barrier

The kids and families we serve in our child and adolescent psychiatry practice are extremely vulnerable to a vicious cycle of escalating social isolation, perpetuated by the nature of the conditions they experience, their propensity to misinterpret the thoughts and reactions of other people and the stigma associated with mental illness. Continue reading

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Casseroles, church, and the stigma of kids with mental illness

We, as church, also have a remarkable opportunity to share the love of Christ with many families who, because of stigma, may be too embarrassed to let us know when they are in need. Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Families, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

One family’s Christmas at the movies…and our culture?

I would hope and pray God would see fit to use the Colson’s experience to open the eyes and hearts of many in our culture to the needs of families impacted by autism and other disabilities. I’m sure Emily and Max would be honored if everyone who hears of their story would demonstrate Christ’s love to someone experiencing the effects of disability at their next opportunity. Continue reading

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Do not lose heart…

Reading through your Facebook page and the other posts I thought this song might minister to parents and others. I don’t understand what your families must go through, however God has walked me through a life of continuous pain from different sources. This song has truly ministered to me and helped me to refocuse the purpose of it all.
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Key Ministry 2013…by the numbers

A look back at the 2013 ministry year from a statistical perspective Continue reading

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Drug company marketing ISN’T the cause of the ADHD epidemic

Is the ADHD epidemic really a product of drug company marketing, or is it a result of our culture and our educational system imposing expectations upon a large segment of our child and teen population that they’re not developmentally prepared to meet? Continue reading

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Christmas struggles for kids with mental health issues

Kids with common mental health conditions react to the holidays very differently than do adults. Today, we’ll look at three struggles common during Christmas break among the kids and families we serve, and suggest practical strategies for parents to minimize the impact of the holidays upon their children. Continue reading

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