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Category Archives: Inclusion
“Thinking Orange”…A Parent’s Perspective-Mike Woods
I could list a handful of wonderful gifts that you give my children by providing a special needs ministry. Today, however, I’d like to share with you four wonderful gifts that you bless my wife Linda and I with by providing a special needs ministry to our children and by being a welcoming church: Continue reading
What if Mom is depressed?
But for the sake of this discussion, it appears that in examining depression as a specific disability, regular involvement of either the child or the parent with depression at church not only produces spiritual benefits, but actually helps reduce the risk for the condition itself. Continue reading
Posted in Depression, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Resources, Strategies
Tagged children's ministry, church, Depression, Faith Net, families, Family Ministry, Grace Groups, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Mental Health Grace Alliance, mothers, NAMI, youth ministry
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Church…A Hostile Environment? (Part Two) Harmony Hensley
I would encourage you to take a two pronged approach to making your church a more welcoming environment for families and kids impacted by disability.
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Redefining disability…and what it means for the church
But the newer thinking is that it’s not your body that disables you, it’s the environment around you.” For example, an environment full of stairs is actually what disables a person in a wheelchair. “That’s a much more interesting way to look at disability,” Continue reading
Church…A Hostile Environment? Harmony Hensley
For families and children impacted by disability church is all too often viewed as a “hostile” environment in which they feel judged or unwelcome. Sadly, I’ve met a number of families who would summarize their church experience this way. Continue reading
Posted in Families, Inclusion, Ministry Environments, Strategies
Tagged church, families, Harmony Hensley, hostile environment, Inclusion, Key Ministry, ministry environments
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Depression…Challenges in serving kids with an episodic disability
The first people in a church likely to suspect a problem will be the youth pastor or a small group leader when they notice an often abrupt change in the pattern of involvement of a teen suffering from depression. Unlike the other conditions we’ve discussed since launching the blog, in the absence of another mental health condition or a parent with a disability, I’d hypothesize kids with depression wouldn’t be any less likely to start attending church…they’ll have difficulty staying involved with church once symptomatic. Continue reading
Reminding myself that we’re winning the war
Most of the disability ministry leaders I know are tired, underfunded and apprehensive about the future…like most of the families we serve. But the progress being made by the disability movement is unmistakable and real. It’s gratifying to see the ways in which God is mobilizing our colleagues to do great things on behalf of His Kingdom!
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Who Was Missing?
Christmas is one of two days during the year when families who are “cultural Christians” are most likely to check out church. This is a good thing. After all, the church is in business to share the Gospel and the … Continue reading
Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry
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Church, We’ve Got a Problem
How will the church serve a generation of families with kids who have issues with emotions or behavior that interfere with their ability to function on a day to day basis?
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Outward Focused Inclusion Ministry…Ryan Wolfe on Ensuring Justice
I have sat beside and talked with people who have been abused in institutions. I have looked in the eyes of people who have been neglected by group home staff. These statistics and news stories are not just happening in other places around the world or even in third world countries, they are happening right around me. Somehow I knew that this was unacceptable. But what really could the church do about this? Continue reading
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