Faces of the Movement…Nella Uitvlugt from Friendship Ministries

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Dr. G

Nella Uitvlugt is one of the leading advocates in the church for inclusive ministry to adults with intellectual disabilities. She was at the top of our list of speakers we wanted for last year’s inaugural Inclusion Fusion. We’re glad that God has provided Nella to be part of this year’s Web Summit via video. She’ll be presenting on the topic Ministering Beside Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.

Churches need to plan for ministry to adults with intellectual disabilities. In Nella’s talk, viewers will learn how church members can walk alongside adults with intellectual disabilities, creating an environment of mutual growth in their faith journey together. Friendship Ministries has been doing that for 30 years through relationships developed within a Bible Study setting that enables our “friends” to become active members of God’s family.

Nella is the Executive Director of Friendship Ministries, an interdenominational organization for people with Intellectual Disabilities. She is also the Past-President of the Religion and Spirituality Division of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, served on the leadership team of the National Council of Churches in Christ Committee on Disabilities, and the Advisory Committee of the CRCNA Disability Concerns Committee. She consults with pastors and congregations, giving presentations in both the US and Canada regarding the spiritual needs of people with intellectual disabilities. Nella has received the Christian Service Award from Bethesda Lutheran Communities.

Here’s an example of Nella’s teaching…a presentation she developed for Friendship Ministries earlier this month on the topic of Autism and Children’s Ministry…

For more information on Nella and the work of her team at Friendship Ministries, check out their website or their Facebook page.

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Join Nella and over 30 leaders from children’s, family, youth and disability ministry serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Inclusion Fusion is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

Posted in Autism, Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry, Resources, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mom, I feel like CINDERELLA! Guest Blog from Cindi Ferrini

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Dr. G

Dr. Joe and Cindi Ferrini speak nationally for Family Life “Weekend to Remember Get-A-Ways” and have written UNEXPECTED JOURNEY-When Special Needs Change our Course. They have 3 grown children (one with special needs)and are grandparents. They enjoy staying connected to the outside world via social media and their website! Joe and Cindi gave a very well received presentation at last year’s Inclusion Fusion…we’re pleased to have them back for a return appearance for Inclusion Fusion 2012! The title of their presentation is We are FAMILY!

Special needs care for ONE person in a family affects all the others. The Ferrini’s will share ideas to help all children in the family feel included and “special” in every day life, and will touch briefly on the part extended family can play. Here’s a guest blog from Cindi previewing this year’s presentation…

Mom, I feel like CINDERELLA! 

And no, that was not a good thing….

Kristina, our second born was healthy, smart, helpful, and compliant. She was often there to help our son Joey (3 years older than her) when he needed his shoes tied, face washed, or teeth brushed. The problem was – she was only about 7.

Joey’s special needs made it such that he needed a lot of help for us just to “get out the door” and often, she was very willing to help. But this one particular day, I had asked her to do a number of things, right in a row, and not with much chance to comprehend it all. That was when she said, “Mom, I feel like CINDERELLA. Not the pretty one, but the one who had to do all the work.” Ouch.

Sometimes it takes the mirror of reality for us to stop and change our course. That comment did just that for me. I became keenly aware of the fact that she needed to be a kid. I know I didn’t expect her to “take over” my job of caring for our son with special needs, but I was happy for her help, and at that moment I could see I’d lost the ability to see that I was asking too much.

From that moment on, I made some changes. Perhaps the changes I made, will be helpful for you with your children, but also with your extended family, friends, and others in your life:

  • Don’t bark orders and expect others to jump.
  • Each child needs attention. Give them one on one as often as you can. Make it a point.
  • Allow your children to “understand” that you must take time (and often more time) with the child with special needs, but find things they like to do and purpose to do it with them.
  • Have family meetings. Talk about the “work load” and if they feel you are expecting too much of them. You might not like what you’ll hear, but the open communication serves well for now and when they become adults.
  • Don’t beat yourself up when your children are honest with you. Let them share.
  • Show appreciation in words and actions for those who lend you a hand.
  • Don’t make others feel stuck helping you. Ask first.
  • Don’t expect others to know what you need. If others offer to help, tell them what is helpful.
  • YOU make caring for you loved one look easy because you do it all the time. Others will need to be trained to help you. Take the time.
  • When asking other children in the family to babysit/care for/look after the one with special needs, treat them like you would someone coming in to help. Ask them to set the day aside for you and confirm it with them – like you would with a babysitter. Pay them like you would a babysitter. Ask them how things went and if there is a way that would make life easier for them when they are helping you. (And we would let our daughters have one girlfriend over so that once Joey was in bed they could enjoy time with a friend.)
  • Don’t expect people to read your mind. If you need help – ask.
  • When people offer to help, ask them what they most enjoy doing. Make and keep that list so you can call on them. The longer your list, the less often you’ll have to call on and rely upon one or two people.
  • Be sure to do things your typically developing children want to do – even if it means finding someone to stay home with the one with special needs.
  • Invest in each child, so there will be no regrets when they are adults.
  • Have fun. Life is better that way.
  • Make sure you get your daughter a pretty prom dress when her time comes – so she knows how the pretty CINDERELLA felt!

©Cindi Ferrini (www.cindiferrini.com and author with her husband Joe of UNEXPECTED JOURNEY-When Special Needs Change our Course)

Here’s Cindi and Joe’s presentation from last year’s Inclusion Fusion…The Unexpected Journey of Relationships-When Special Needs Change Our Course!

Join Joe, Cindi and 35 other leaders serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

Posted in Families, Inclusion Fusion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Faces of the Movement: Ann and John Holmes

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Dr. G

As the Program Chairman for Inclusion Fusion, I very much enjoy the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the work of very humble and very faithful people who seek to serve others and build God’s Kingdom with no expectation of recognition and reward. Ann and John Holmes certainly fall into this category. I’m honored that our team can introduce them to you through this year’s Inclusion Fusion, where they’ll be speaking on the topic: A Restoration Church.

John and Ann are a ministry team. They have served churches in SC, AL, VA and PA. They have started a church in Pittsburgh focused on intentional, inclusive, embracing church worship and community for families and individuals with special needs.  John has an MDiv. from Columbia Theological Seminary (Atlanta, GA) and a DMin. from Westminster Seminary (Philadelphia, PA). John and Ann have two married sons and seven grandchildren.

John and Ann were gracious to answer some questions about their experiences in establishing A Restoration Church as a place where intentional outreach and ministry to kids and adults with special needs and their families fulfills the mandates of scripture…

SG: What led the two of you to start a church specifically to welcome persons with special needs and their families?

AH: There were two startling “watershed” experiences during the last 30+ years in ministry that God used to draw our hearts toward this mission. John briefly describes both in our interview with Katie (Inclusion Fusion presentation). In a nutshell, these two experiences (and others less dramatic) brought us to the realization that there is a significant “sub-group” in our culture that has been largely ignored by the institutional church – individuals with special needs and their families.

In addition, we have personally experienced “hidden disability” through a number of personal medical issues that seriously impacted us as a couple and as a family. Our own pain gives us a unique perspective into the world of special needs.

JH: I was not aware of any other churches – going back 6-8 years when this vision really began to crystallize – planting churches or being a church with a core value of being welcoming and discipling (mentoring) to special needs individuals and their families. It just seemed like both a call from God and a huge need in the Body of Christ!

We were already in the process of planting A Restoration Church when our son met and fell in love with the mother of a daughter with Down Syndrome. God gave us a granddaughter with DS. What a wonderful “hug from God”! She blesses us and gives us a special window into the lives of families with special needs.

We have a new understanding of the Biblical mandate for this kind of ministry. Luke 14:12-14 and other passages make it plain that this is God’s priority for His forever family. It is the primary focus of Jesus’ years in ministry prior to the cross. Scripture is clear that it is not an option to reach out to the special needs community. It is an imperative!

SG: How is pastoring a church composed primarily of persons with special needs different from pastoring a more “typical” church?

AH/JH: There are so many people needs that it is almost overwhelming at times- especially when there are many more needs than there are willing hands and hearts prepared to step up to support those needs. There isn’t a defined template for this kind of ministry. There is support and there are resources available to encourage such a ministry as A Restoration Church. Finding them is the challenge. One way to find resources is Twitter and other social media. The number of friends connected to special needs ministries we have found on Twitter and Facebook is so supportive and such a blessing!  One reason we are so excited about Key Ministry is the encouragement we are receiving. Walking with others on this particular ministry path is invaluable! Thanks so much!

We are still figuring out how to “market” this vision to build a church committed to ministry to special needs individuals and their families. We have done some of this right as we are finding our way. We have made mistakes. There is a two-pronged focus of welcoming special needs individuals and their families while also reaching out to more “typical” individuals and families. In our culture it is difficult to sell more “typical” parents with more “typical” children on what a huge blessing participating in a church with this vision can and will be. Just being part of a church like A Restoration Church has great value for more “typical” families in teaching their children and youth to love unconditionally and sacrificially. This isn’t just a ministry we do. It’s a mutual ministry of serving and receiving encouragement! Like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 it takes inclusion to be the REAL Body of Christ before the watching world!

There is a fear factor both for leadership and for individuals and families who catch the significance of this type of ministry. Getting past that barrier is very much a difficult challenge. We can all be entirely too wrapped up in both image and what we perceive success to look like. “Selling” the vision for planting and building churches with a core value of including special needs individuals and their families is both daunting and challenging as well as incredibly rewarding!

The fact that many of our people do have special needs also means that their commitment to consistency in attendance and contribution of energy and resources fluctuates rather dramatically. It helps to always keep in view that this is God’s work and that He just chooses to use us to build His Kingdom. The temptation to measure “success” by nickels and noses is a false standard. Only God can build this kind of ministry. It is amazing to watch what He does with “broken” people, including us. He loves to take “the weak” and to be strong for them/us.

There are many adaptations to a more “typical” ministry style when the focus is being welcoming and supporting to special needs families: such as,

  • Issues with music
  • Traditional components of worship like prayers, creeds and even the sermon (tho’ the more relaxed atmosphere accepted in many churches makes this particular challenge easier to address). Sermon length and presentation needs processing through a different spectrum as do many other aspects of a more traditional church.
  • All the accommodations to special needs…like hearing assistance. We have hearing devices of several different kinds available in our welcome area, large print bulletins, access issues and even language adaptations. One example of a language adaptation… when there are people who present in wheelchairs it is a barrier to say, “Stand.” Reconditioning the worship leader’s expression to “Rise with me in your hearts as we sing…………  is a retooling challenge. Another challenge is signing for the hearing impaired – finding the right person to fit our people.

On the other hand, one HUGE blessing in this ministry focus is the opportunity to participate in people’s lives in the midst of their personal pain, developing deep relationships and making a difference. The memories and life impact are amazing! The stories are compelling and provide a wonderful backdrop for us at A Restoration Church as we promote and live out this vision.

In the area of practical considerations there are some wonderful stories as well.  One example is putting our internet skills together with the need for an accessible van for one individual. “We found” a van advertised for an amazing price. It was a fluke, because the headline for the ad said nothing about the van being accessible. In the eBay bidding process we were able to secure the van for less than $4,000, including licenses and registrations. The van was located in another city. When we were making arrangements to pick up the van and introduced ourselves on the phone as the person who bought the accessible van, the seller said, “You mean the person who stole my van?”  We got the van for the price we bid and God was so obviously in the details!

Pastoring A Restoration Church has both huge challenges and huge blessing.  The main thing is walking closely with God, depending on His strength, spending a lot of time on our knees and trusting Him to do “His thing”!

SG: How have you seen God at work through the ministry of A Restoration Church?

AH/JH: God works through simple and practical ways – like an accessible van at an unbelievable price making it possible for a person – who would be confined to her small apartment otherwise – to get out and to build relationships and participate in the ministry of A Restoration Church.  She even allows her van to be used by and for others with accessibility issues from time to time.

God works through even mistakes and difficulties to stretch and challenge us in the process of planting A Restoration Church. One example is that we were able to begin this mission with some significant funds that came from the sale of two properties. Those funds are mostly depleted now so we are both working for separate paychecks (sales for John and teaching Latin for Ann) so our personal finances and needs aren’t a hindrance to the ministry of A Restoration Church. Actually, this difficulty is a blessing in forcing us to rely on God’s provision rather than what we can actually see in the bank. Having other resources for our finances also allows us to participate significantly with stewardship of our own finances. Then there are the contacts we make at both jobs that either make people aware of A Restoration Church or draw them into A Restoration Church. Both of these results happen.

God builds relationships in surprising and unexpected ways. At A Restoration Church there is more of a spirit of acceptance, forgiveness and grace than we have seen in any of the other pastorates we have had in our years in ministry (even tho’ that includes some pretty wonderful people and churches). The mentality of being success driven or image driven just doesn’t exist at A Restoration Church. When the people you spend most of your time with and who are your closest friends have special needs, there isn’t the same level of expectations/demands that we have encountered in more “typical” ministry venues.

Because we know very well how broken we are, our hearts are tenderized toward others who share our brokenness both in obvious and hidden ways.

There are so many wonderful people stories. We have produced a booklet with some of those and it’s time to do a sequel. We just desperately need willing hands and hearts to come alongside so we can do more.

We have opportunities to reach out to other churches in Pittsburgh to encourage them as they develop their own special needs ministries.

SG: What advice would you give to someone else experiencing a call to plant a church like A Restoration Church?

Be sure your calling is from God as you will need His approval, blessing and strength! There will be delays and discouragements along the way. It is HUGE to know that this is God working to build His Kingdom! This is a team effort – God and His servants working in tandem. There is no place for personal kingdom building in this kind of ministry focus.

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Make use of resources available in special needs ministry. There are increasing resources as more and more churches participate in this Kingdom-building movement.

It is essential to build a strong core group of like-minded people who understand the vision to be a church for and to individuals with special needs and their families.

It would be very helpful to have a supporting parent church or denomination willing to undergird a ministry like A Restoration Church. We have found a lot of fear in the institutional church about nickels and noses related to this kind of ministry. It is a very different model that requires people with commitment and vision to participate in this wonderful, life-changing opportunity!

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Join Ann, John and over 30 leaders from children’s, family, youth and disability ministry serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Inclusion Fusion is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

Posted in Advocacy, Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry, Resources, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What might church online look like for families of kids with disabilities?

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Dr. G

This past Sunday, I had an opportunity to share what I’d learned at the iMinistry conference for online churches, held earlier this month in suburban Dallas. The conference organizers challenged us before we left to develop a plan for the next steps we might take in launching or growing church online where we’ve been planted.

As I put together some thoughts, I found most useful the advice I received during the conference from Alan George, online pastor at Lifechurch.tv in Oklahoma (they average 100,000 folks per week participating in worship services through their online campus) , who reinforced the importance of doing church online in a manner consistent with our organization’s personality and culture. In that context, here are some thoughts about what a Key Ministry-led online church initiative might look like.

  • If we were to develop our own online church platform, it would be the first church built intentionally with a “backdoor”…our goal would be to connect families with “bricks and mortar” churches where they can worship in the physical presence of other Christ-followers. Connecting families to established churches would be our priority. Helping families to start house churches by connecting them with an established church with a strategy for developing and supporting house churches would be an alternate goal when there are no churches in their immediate area equipped to fully welcome and include them.
  • We’d look to do that through connecting families up with churches we’ve served directly or churches we know are prepared to serve through their involvement with other like-minded ministry organizations. As our network of churches offering FREERESPITE (more on that during Inclusion Fusion) continues to grow, we’ll continue to expand the range of potential church options for families of kids with disabilities.
  • One challenge for families of kids with disabilities is that their schedules and routines often collide with the times in which worship schedules are traditionally held, adult Christian education occurs, and small groups typically meet. An online worship experience at 9:30 PM might be very well-attended by parents of kids with special needs as might an 11 AM worship experience on Tuesday mornings during the school year when kids with disabilities are in school with a full range of educational supports and mothers can participate without distractions. Moderators for live chat during the worship experiences could be selected with experience in ministry to families impacted by disabilities.
  • We’d seek to meet the need through inviting other churches and like-minded ministries to share our online church platform. Think about a Key Ministry platform like an “I ♥ Radio” where families of kids with disabilities would be able to choose online worship experiences and discipleship activities from among many churches at times of the day when they’re most available to worship.
  • We’d want to make available original worship content on Sunday mornings…re-aired throughout the week with live chat. We might develop (or ask partner churches to develop) teaching content addressing Biblical teaching of special interest to families impacted by specific disabilities. For example…a sermon series of what the Bible teaches about anxiety, or healing or brokenness.
  • We might consider online experiences tailored to folks with specific conditions…Consider an online church for teens and adults with ADHD! You’d have engaging music and videos, briefer, more concise teaching, an emphasis upon action in response to Biblical teaching and online group leaders interacting with participants through text or e-mail during the week to create an atmosphere of mutual accountability.
  • We’d want to make available more basic and advanced Bible Study opportunities-via chat, live streaming, or other interactive solutions.
  • We’d want to make available online small groups for teens and adults.
  • We’d want to offer live streaming of youth ministry activities…with a goal of using interactive chat to help kids with anxiety or social disabilities within a defined geographic area to become comfortable enough to meet with one another in a “bricks and mortar” church.
  • We’d want to offer online content in support of parents and caregivers, coming beside them as they fulfill their responsibility to model for their children what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
  • We’d want to make available opportunities to those attending church online the opportunity to use their gifts through serving others. One missional activity that can easily be conducted by house churches is described here…Online churches offer many opportunities for persons with disabilities to use their gifts in serving others…as we saw with Dwight in our post from last weekend.
  • We’d consider offering Christian-based support groups…the “Grace Groups” offered by churches in nine states by our friends at Mental Health Grace Alliance might be very effectively offered through an online platform.
  • We’d consider making available (or directing families to) adapted Christian education resources. Many families committed to home-schooling because their children have challenges learning in a traditional school environment might encounter similar challenges when children are expected to function in more traditional church environments.

In summary, to reach families no one else is reaching, the church (and Key Ministry) will have to try stuff no one else is trying. I’d argue that the vast majority of kids (and parents) with disabilities that present barriers to active participation in church struggle because they ways in which they think, relate to other people and process information makes it difficult for them to function in typical environments in which we “do church.” Online church affords unique opportunities to help millions of people affected by disabilities come to discover the love of Christ unencumbered by the limitations of their physical and social environments while working toward the goal of introducing every child and adult to real time, “in the flesh” Christian community.

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Join over 30 leaders from children’s, family, youth and disability ministry serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Inclusion Fusion is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

Posted in Families, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Resources, Strategies | 2 Comments

The Special Needs Ministry App…Mike Woods

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Dr. G

Mike Woods and his team at First Baptist Orlando have developed and released (free of charge) The Special Friends App for iOS and Android, the first (and only) app I’ve seen for parents of kids with special needs interested in promoting the faith development of their children. Yesterday, we shared the first part of an interview with Mike about the Special Friends App and his upcoming presentation for Inclusion Fusion. Here’s Part Two…

SG: Are there two or three “must-see” resources on the app for families of kids with special needs?

MW: There are a handful of resources available on the special needs ministry app:  blogs, podcasts, videos, tweets, and links to other special needs ministries that support families (like Key Ministry!) to name a few.  The “must see” resources or what I consider to be the backbone of our app are the podcasts and videos.  There are two types of podcasts on the app.  The first is found under the LISTEN tab and these are podcasts that are focus on parenting and spiritual development type of topics.  The second type of podcast is found under the GROW tab and these are podcasts that are inspirational and focused on encouraging parents in their daily walk with the Lord.  Our videos are found under the WATCH tab and are instructional.  Parents (and special needs ministry volunteers) will find videos on visual schedules, crisis intervention, first-then boards, and more.  Both podcasts and videos are designed to be listened to or watched in under 20-minutes.

SG: How do you hope families will make use of the app?

MW: The primary way that I hope parents will make use of our app is as a daily or weekly resource for encouragement and for ideas to nurture their child’s faith.  Parents of children with special needs are b-u-s-y!  The goal is not to engage parents to do all things related to strengthening their child’s faith!  The app is designed to support parents in discovering one small thing that they can do, one small step that they can take to help their child become who God wants them to be.

SG: Now that the app has been available for a number of weeks, what type of feedback have you received from parents and families?

MW: We’ve received mostly positive feedback from parents about the special needs ministry app.  100% of this positive feedback has been from parents who have not yet found a church that can provide the type of support they need in order for their entire family to attend.  They are grateful for this resource because their child’s spiritual development is a priority for them.  We’ve also received some constructive criticism and that’s okay too.  This type of feedback helps us to understand what’s working and what’s not working for parents and allow us to make adjustments to the app.  One adjustment that was made based on feedback was to make some of our resources that we use in our Special Friends classroom at First Baptist Orlando available thru the app.

SG: What additional resources do you hope to provide when updates are available?

MW: The special needs ministry app is so new that we’re still tweaking and improving what we are currently doing with it.  We haven’t given too much consideration just yet to what types of additional resources that we could provide.  The one idea that we’re kicking around is how to tie the app in with Google Hangouts so that we could develop communities of support for parents who need to connect with other parents.

The Special Friends Ministry app from First Baptist Orlando is available through iTunes by clicking on the icon in the right sidebar of this blog. Click here for a link to download the app from the Android Marketplace.

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Join Mike and over 30 leaders from children’s, family, youth and disability ministry serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Inclusion Fusion is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

Posted in Autism, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Resources, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Faces of the Movement…Mike Woods of First Baptist Orlando

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Dr. G

Mike Woods was an original member of our Program Committee for Inclusion Fusion, and would have been a featured presenter if not for having accepted the position of Director of Special Needs for First Baptist Orlando shortly before last year’s inaugural Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Now that Mike has settled into his new position, we’re thrilled that he’ll be presenting on the topic Partnering With Parents at this year’s Inclusion Fusion.

What matters more than anything else is that kids with special needs have an authentic relationship with God. Scripture reminds us that God chooses to use family as the primary place to nurture a child’s faith. Mike’s presentation will share some proven ideas on how your church/ministry can help parents actively participate in the spiritual formation of their own child (or children) with special needs.

Mike worked for 9 years as the Autism and Inclusion Specialist for a large St. Louis County school district. Mike has also worked as a Master Training Specialist for the Judevine Center for Autism and as an Early Interventionist for the Missouri First Steps Program. While living in North Carolina, Mike taught continuing education courses for special education teachers at Coastal Carolina College.

Mike is happily married to his lovely wife Linda and is the father of three wonderful boys, all of whom are on the autism spectrum.

In addition to Mike’s thriving ministry at First Baptist Orlando, he and his team developed and released The Special Friends App for iOS and Android, the first (and only) app I’ve seen for parents of kids with special needs interested in promoting the faith development of their children. Mike graciously agreed to be interviewed about FBO’s new app. Part Two of the interview will run tomorrow…

SG: What motivated your team to take on such a significant project?

MW: The genesis for our app came one question posed in a team meeting by our Children’s Pastor:  “What can we do to help parents nurture their child’s spiritual development at home?”  He gave us a week to come up with some possible answers. I searched for answers in several different books, Parenting Beyond Your Capacity, Spiritual Parenting, and also read through the book study that you did last year (Steve) on Think Orange.  In the process of trying to come up with an answer to the problem other parents were experiencing, I discovered that I too had a problem.

As I read through Deut. 6:4-7, Psalm 78, and the central focus of the books I mentioned, I was reminded that as a parent I’m the one that God holds primarily responsible for my boys’ spiritual development.  My problem was that as a father to three boys on the autism spectrum, I had become so focused on their social, emotional, academic, and communication needs that I had been neglecting their spiritual needs.  Why is this a problem?  Because as Reggie Joiner said, “100 years from now the only thing that will truly matter in a child’s life is his or her relationship with God.” So at the end of the day parents have to look in the mirror and answer this question, “Have I invested my time in what really matters the most?”  And what matters most, according to our Father, is our children’s spiritual health.  The app is our attempt to partner with parents and support them in what matters most:  nurturing their child’s spiritual development.

SG: How can families who don’t attend FBO make use of the app?

MW: Great question, Steve.  As you know there are a lot of families who have a child with special needs that do not have a church to call “home.”  Between Apple and Android we’ve had almost 300 downloads of our special needs ministry app.  We have about 50 families of children with special needs here at First Baptist Orlando.  So that tells me that around 250 families who don’t attend First Baptist Orlando have downloaded the app!  We want to make sure that our app is supporting those families too.  In the bigger picture our special needs ministry app will support all parents by accomplishing two things:  1) Give them a plan.  Our app focuses on a different Christ-like virtue each and every month.  The app will provide a system of support and a steady flow of relevant information via videos and podcasts, and 2) Show them how to “take the next step.”  Nurturing a child’s spiritual development can feel like an overwhelming task for a group of parents who often feel overwhelmed already.  Simple and useful ideas are provided each week to remind parents to pause and make the most of everyday moments with their child and strengthen their faith.  For the parents who use Apple products, the special needs ministry app utilizes “push notifications” to alert parents to a recently published “take the next step” strategy.

The Special Friends Ministry app from First Baptist Orlando is available through iTunes by clicking on the icon in the right sidebar of this blog. Click here for a link to download the app from the Android Marketplace.

Tomorrow: Part Two of our interview with Mike on the Special Friends Ministry app.

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Join Mike and over 30 leaders from children’s, family, youth and disability ministry serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Inclusion Fusion is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

Posted in Autism, Families, Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Resources, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Standing up for Colleen Swindoll and Insight for Living

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Dr. G

One of the hazards of stepping out in faith to advance the Gospel is the attention you receive from the enemy camp. Spiritual warfare is real.

Many of you met Colleen Swindoll, her father and her children, including her son (Jonathan) through last year’s Inclusion Fusion. Colleen has developed a large and impactful outreach through her position as Special Needs Ministry Director at Insight for Living. She writes a weekly blog for Insight, and has over 2,000 followers on Facebook.

Insight for Living’s Special Needs Ministry account on Facebook was hacked recently, greatly limiting Colleen’s ability to disseminate her blog and lend support to many families of kids with disabilities. This is completely unacceptable.

Here’s a link to Colleen’s Special Needs Ministry blog, and to her most recent post, But…Why? You’ll notice on the right hand side of the page a box labeled “Subscribe” (pictured at right). Type your e-mail address in and Colleen’s weekly blog posts will be safely delivered to your mailbox as soon as they’re posted. Personally, I think it would be really cool if God used this to help Colleen expand the reach of her ministry. I know she’d appreciate it if those who follow our blogs and social media would post a link to Colleen’s blog in their Facebook and Twitter accounts, since many of her followers may also follow like-minded sites, and many more people will discover Insight’s content and resources in the process.

We’re looking forward to having Colleen join us again this year for Inclusion Fusion 2012. This is not the first time that she or her colleagues at Insight have experienced cyber-attacks, nor is it likely to be the last. I know she’d appreciate your prayers, and please pray for protection from the enemy for all ministries seeking to use the Internet to help churches welcome families of kids with disabilities.

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Join Colleen and over 30 leaders from children’s, family, youth and disability ministry serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Inclusion Fusion is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

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Faces of the Movement…Jolene Philo

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Dr. G

As more and more churches become involved in adoption ministry and pursue initiatives to care for children and teens in the foster care system, they’ll need to understand the complex manifestations of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to most effectively meet the needs of the kids they seek to serve and the families committed to adoption and foster care ministry. We’re fortunate Jolene Philo has agreed to a return appearance for Inclusion Fusion 2012 to educate us about PTSD…her topic for Inclusion Fusion 2012 is It’s Not Just for Soldiers Anymore: PTSD & Kids with Special Needs.

Jolene is the author of two books for parents of children with special needs, A Different Dream for My Child and Different Dream Parenting. She is the parent of a child with special needs who developed PTSD due to early, frequent and invasive medical treatment. She also taught traumatized students at a correctional facility and collaborated with special education teachers to mainstream traumatized children in her classroom during public school teaching career. She’s conducted extensive interviews with trauma experts and is currently working on a book about PTSD in children. More information about PTSD and kids can be found at her website, http://www.DifferentDream.com.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder most commonly associated with combat veterans that also affects children with special needs. Jolene will discuss six common myths and misconceptions about PTSD in children.

For a sample of Jolene’s teaching, here’s her presentation from last year’s Inclusion Fusion (click here for handouts) Ten Ways Churches Can Support Parents of Kids With Special Needs…

Join Jolene and over 30 leaders from children’s, family, youth and disability ministry serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Inclusion Fusion is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

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Cara Daily…Do I have to have surgery to open my heart to Jesus?

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Dr. G

Dr. Cara Marker Daily (pictured at right with Joni Earickson-Tada) easily has the honors for the best-ever title for an Inclusion Fusion presentation! Cara serves on our Key Ministry Board of Directors and was pursuing a career as an up and coming investigator at several prestigious academic medical centers when she left academia to launch a center where she could incorporate Biblically-based principles to evidence-based treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders. Cara’s presentation for Inclusion Fusion 2012 will be Do I Have to Have Surgery to Open My Heart to Jesus? In her interview, Cara will discuss how to present the Gospel to children with autism.

Cara is a licensed Pediatric Psychologist and owner of Daily Behavioral Health. She is also the founder and executive director of the Building Behaviors Autism Center at Inner Health Ministries Child Center. She received her Ph.D. in School Psychology at the University of South Carolina, and completed her pediatric psychology internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and postdoctoral fellowship at The Children’s Hospital at The Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Daily is a member of the Department of Pediatrics at Fairview Hospital, the American Psychological Association, the Ohio Psychological Association, and the Christian Association of Psychological Studies. Her specialty is in the consultation, assessment, and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Here’s Cara’s talk from last year’s Inclusion Fusion Autism Spectrum Disorders: Practical Tips for the Church…

Join over 30 leaders from children’s, family, youth and disability ministry serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Inclusion Fusion is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

Posted in Autism, Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry, Resources, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What I learned about Internet ministry…

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Dr. G

I spent two days last week at the iMinistry conference hosted by Lakepointe Church in suburban Dallas. The conference was expertly facilitated by Nate Merrill of Lakepointe and Seth Farrior of Seacoast Church in South Carolina and attended by approximately sixty Internet pastors and ministry leaders from twenty five churches around the U.S.

I felt very welcomed by everyone I met, even though Inclusion Fusion is at this point Key Ministry’s primary online presence outside of our website and blogs. The people I met at the conference were universally VERY bright, humble and passionate about sharing both the Gospel and community through their online ministry presence. The two days at the iMinistry conference represented time very well-spent…I’d very much encourage any church considering an Internet campus to attend the meeting next year.

A couple of years ago, I experienced a very clear sense that God planned for our Key Ministry team to pioneer the use of technology to reach families of kids with disabilities who aren’t currently served by a local church. I’ve also had a strong sense of conviction that we’re to continue to pursue strategies for helping churches welcome and serve kids with “hidden disabilities” and their families…kids who in most cases wouldn’t be thought of as “disabled” or as having “special needs”, but have issues with anxiety, attention, self-control or sensory processing that make it difficult for themselves or their family members to fully engage in and participate in traditional church activities and environments. I’ve been thinking about how online ministry options might help churches more effectively serve families of kids with disabilities that don’t involve significant physical or intellectual impairment. I’ll cover that topic in a follow-up post next week.

With that said, here’s what I learned about Internet ministry that would be relevant to serving kids with disabilities and their families…

  • Internet ministry is a tool that can be used for promoting community by complementing instead of competing with other ministry offerings of a local church. Examples include the use of iMinistry to plant “microcampuses” in distant locations, helping people connect who find themselves far away from their home church or in a part of the world where attending church may be difficult or dangerous, reaching people with jobs that require them to work on Sunday morning, or people with some other impediment to physically attending a local church.
  • There’s a very long way to go before Internet campuses will provide the full range of services found in “bricks and mortar” campuses…While online small groups and Bible studies are not at all uncommon, adult Christian education, children’s ministry, youth ministry and other specialty ministry (including any type of formal disability ministry) is relatively uncommon among churches with online campuses.
  • Participants in online churches may have higher levels of connectedness and engagement than visitors or attenders in more traditional churches! Church staff and volunteers may know more about the level of attendance/involvement of online attendees than they do people attending flesh and blood churches.
  • Lots of church staff make use of online worship services…they’re typically working during the times that weekend services are available through their local church.
  • Far more pastoral care is offered through online church platforms than I had imagined.
  • The demographics of online church attendees aren’t what I would have thought…a typical participant in online worship is a 35-50 year old female.
  • iMinistry appears to afford unlimited opportunity for Christ followers to share the Gospel and use their gifts and talents to serve others while building the Kingdom.

There were only a couple of churches at the meeting intentionally considering online ministry as a strategy for ministering to persons with disabilities and their families…One church with multiple campuses and an Internet presence has plans to launch on online small group specifically for families served by their special needs ministry.

I had the pleasure of meeting David Helbig, Church Online pastor of Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. David described Christ Fellowship’s philosophy as follows… “We’ll do anything to remove the barriers of time and distance to anyone who wants to know Christ and become connected to Christ Fellowship.”

During David’s time on stage, he described one of the people who came to Christ through the church’s online ministry. Allow me to introduce you to Dwight…

Dwight came to faith in Jesus through Christ Fellowship’s online ministry…Dwight’s parents came online eight months later. After being baptized and maturing in faith, Dwight now serves by leading two online Life Groups for the church.

Next…What might online church look like for kids with disabilities and their families?

Join over 30 leaders from children’s, family, youth and disability ministry serving as faculty for Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s second annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Inclusion Fusion is made available FREE OF CHARGE to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families everywhere from November 12th-16th, 2012. For an up to date list of speakers, topics, links to speaker blogs and a link for free registration, click here.

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