Category Archives: Inclusion

A Child Shall Lead Them…Update

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Dr. G

This past March, I shared a post describing a 14 year-old volunteer who had served in Breathe Respite events held at my church who approached our senior pastor with a fleshed-out proposal for the church to host a luau this summer as an outreach to 50 adults with developmental disabilities living in our community.
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How Can I Get Involved and Help?

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Dr. G

I started kicking around the question of how I hope people will respond when they’re exposed to our people, training and ministry resources. Ultimately, I would hope folks would respond by looking for where God might be at work in the unique intersection of their experiences, talents, giftedness and circumstances in providing opportunities to build His Kingdom. Continue reading →

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Are Parents of Kids With ADHD Stigmatized at Church?

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Dr. G

Earlier this week, Shannon Dingle had a wonderful post on her blog The Works of God Displayed (I’d highly encourage readers of this blog to subscribe to Shannon’s blog) on perceptions of folks in the church about the diagnosis of ADHD. I’d encourage you to read her post, because I’m challenged to express my opinions as eloquently as she did on her blog. I very much appreciate as well the comments on her blog from a pastor (Perry) who was willing to give voice to some of the thoughts and feelings Shannon was seeking to describe in her post.
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Posted in ADHD, Controversies, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Great New Resource for Special Needs Ministry

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Dr. G

Mike Woods from Making Room has launched specialneedsministry.org as a tool to help disseminate free resources from influential leaders in special needs ministry. Continue reading →

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Join me today on Blog Talk Radio

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Dr. G

I’m honored to have the opportunity to join Mike Woods from Making Room on his blog talk radio program today, Tuesday, May 17th at 10:00 AM EDT. We’ll be discussing the topic of Family-Focused Special Needs Ministry. Continue reading →

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The relationship between ADHD and autism

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Dr. G

The implication of all this for church staff and volunteers is to appreciate the reality that if you’ve seen one kid with autism, you’ve seen one kid with autism. Effective strategies for inclusion at church and the resources families find helpful in promoting the spiritual growth of their child aren’t “one size fits all” for kids with ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, or both. Continue reading →

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One Family’s Story

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Dr. G

our family’s experience of a child with a disability has made me aware that the impact of the disability isn’t limited to the nuclear family but affects the extended family as well. Second, while we as the church can offer to do what we can to support families affected by disability, as a psychiatrist and as a brother, I can’t fully comprehend how the 24 hour a day, seven day a week experience of being responsible for a child with a significant disability colors one’s understanding and attitude toward God and experience of trying to be a part of a community of faith through the local church. We can do everything we possibly can to reach out to families of kids with disabilities who aren’t actively involved with church, but we also need to be slow to judge parents who fail to take us up on the offer until we’ve walked in their shoes.
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Who’s Missing?

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Dr. G

After you get home from church, I want to challenge you to ponder something beyond which family at church won the fashion show. (Don’t ask me how I know about that one…let he who is without sin cast the first stone.) Consider this…Who wasn’t there? Do you have friends and neighbors who couldn’t come to church because their kids have emotional, behavioral or developmental issues that make church attendance and participation nearly impossible. Continue reading →

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Thinking “Orange”…Takeaway Points

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Dr. G

When church leaders consider the opportunity to minister to and influence parents and siblings who otherwise miss out on the benefits of a local church, the potential impact of an inclusive family ministry on the surrounding community becomes readily apparent. Continue reading →

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Thinking “Orange”: Catalysts for Spiritual Growth For Kids With…and Without Disabilities

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Dr. G

What if a kid has a significant emotional, behavioral or developmental disorder that makes it more difficult to participate in the program or stick with the program? Here are ten suggestions…some are demonstrably effective, some are still working hypotheses based upon 25 years of experience as a clinician and many years of active involvement in churches. All of these suggestions are applicable to any kid or family being served by your church, and are applicable to kids with and without identified disabilities: Continue reading →

Posted in Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Parents, Resources, Spiritual Development, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment