We’re responding to the technical issues with Inclusion Fusion

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Dr. G

Our team at Key Ministry is incredibly appreciative of the outstanding work our speakers have put into their presentations for Inclusion Fusion. We’re also very encouraged by the incredible level of interest in special needs ministry based upon the data we’ve been receiving on conference registration along with the numbers of people watching video presentations at any given time since the Web Summit went live early this morning.

I personally apologize for our organization’s failure to adequately prepare our partners at Pajama Conference for the level of interest in Inclusion Fusion. Given our firsthand experiences with families who have experienced great frustration when they’ve tried to participate in church, the LAST thing either myself or anyone on our team would want to do is to be the cause of any further aggravation to folks who want to be a part of a larger church family, or the churches with a heart for serving families touched by special needs.

We are well aware of the problems many registrants have experienced in trying to register for the conference today, log onto the site once registered, stay connected to the site when transferring from one video to another as well as connection issues while participants were posting comments or participating in the live chat.

Our partners are in the process of increasing the capacity of the servers hosting the conference. We believe that your Inclusion Fusion experience will improve as each hour passes by. I personally guarantee that everyone who wants to access any of the conference lectures and materials will have adequate time and opportunity to do so. In recognition of the frustration some participants have experienced in accessing the conference, we are going to extend Inclusion Fusion through Monday, November 7th.

We appreciate all of your prayers and encouragement that everyone who wants to be part of Inclusion Fusion will be able to fully participate. I don’t believe that God would allow these problems to occur unless He has much bigger plans in mind for how we might all be useful in helping more kids, adults and families to come to know His Son Jesus through the ministries of local churches everywhere.

In His Service,

Stephen Grcevich, MD

President, Board of Directors, Key Ministry

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Inclusion Fusion Speakers…Chuck Swindoll

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Dr. G

I very much enjoyed the privilege of meeting Chuck Swindoll when our team was in Dallas last month to film his presentations for Inclusion Fusion. The experience helped restore some of my confidence in the folks who are leading the church. I was struck by his authenticity throughout the day we spent at Insight For Living. What you see is what you get.

I had an opportunity to observe Chuck in the midst of responding to an unexpected and stressful situation. The grace and composure he demonstrated while coping with adversity was a wonderful example to me of how a true leader responds under pressure. Talk about demonstrating the peace of God that transcends all understanding! He’s got it.

Our ministry team is very grateful that Chuck agreed to be our Keynote Speaker for our first annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit. Chuck’s presentation addresses the challenges families, church staff and volunteers face in demonstrating the love of Christ to persons with special needs. He and his daughter Colleen also sat for a two-part interview with Katie Wetherbee during which Katie had the opportunity to ask Chuck the types of questions that families of kids and adults with disabilities would want him to answer. Katie has a wonderful preview of the interviews she conducted with Chuck, Colleen and Colleen’s kids for Inclusion Fusion on her blog.

Chuck wears many hats. He serves as Senior Pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, TX, Chairman of the Board of Insight for Living and Provost of Dallas Theological Seminary in addition to his primary roles of Husband, Father, Grandfather, and humble servant.

For over 50 years, Chuck has been leading people to Christ through his pastoral work, the radio ministry of Insight for Living, his writing and his teaching. Chuck is known as one of the world’s most influential Christian leaders…personally committed to integrity, steadfast Biblical truth, and unwavering dedication to Christ as His Lord and Savior. Chuck’s finest work is private-his humble commitment to a very diverse family with several members who have struggled with both visible and hidden disabilities. One of Chuck’s grandchildren is named Jonathan…meaning a “Gift from God”. Jonathan has multiple disabilities, including autism. Chuck has demonstrated ongoing tenderness, respect and care for Jonathan while assisting Colleen as she parents a child with special needs.

We’re thankful that Chuck and his family have chosen to share their wisdom and experiences with Christ-followers everywhere through Inclusion Fusion. I’m also confident that our inaugural Special Needs Ministry Web Summit is worthy of Chuck’s participation and your time.

Here’s Chuck’s Keynote presentation that kicked off last year’s inaugural Inclusion Fusion:

Updated June 21, 2012

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Guest Blogger Jolene Philo…Back to the Basics

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Dr. G

Jolene Philo’s first child was born with a life-threatening birth defect that required immediate surgery, and 6 more surgeries over the next 15 years. She worked with special needs students in a variety of settings during her 25 years as a classroom teacher. She also served for four years as Director of Discipleship and Assimilation at her church. Her book, A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically and Chronically Ill Children was released by Discovery House Publishers in 2009. Her new book, Different Dream Parenting: A Practical Guide to Raising a Child with Special Needs is now available.

We’re honored Jolene will be joining us for Inclusion Fusion, speaking on the topic 10 Ways Churches Can Support Parents of Kids with Special Needs. The emotional impact of parenting a child with special needs begins at diagnosis and continues throughout the child’s life. Jolene’s workshop details ten low cost, high impact ways church staff and lay members can support families of children with special needs. The information presented in this workshop was gathered during interviews with more than fifty parents of kids with special needs, educators and health care professionals who support them.

Today, she’s graciously guest blogging for me…here’s Jolene’s post:

Back to the Basics by Jolene Philo

Back in my days as an elementary educator, I served as a cooperating teacher to several student teachers. Each bright, eager women had the same reaction after teaching their first social studies, math, or science lesson to students. “I thought the kids knew more about the subject than they do,” they exclaimed. “I had to go back to the basics and start there.”

“Yes,” I agreed, time after time. “it’s always best to assume ignorance.”

When I first began writing and speaking about how to help parents of kids with special needs, I assumed people knew something about the topic. After all, I’d been raised in a home with a father disabled by multiple sclerosis. Our first child had a special need that required 7 surgeries and countless invasive medical procedures before he was 5.  Life as the care giver for someone with special needs was second nature for me.

Gradually, I learned a lesson similar to what those student teachers learned years before. It’s best to assume that those who have no experience with disabilities or special needs are ignorant about how to help the families who need their support. Obviously, they needed to learn the basic components of an effective support system. Unfortunately, the parents of kids with special needs are so preoccupied with caregiving duties they don’t have time to teach them.

Someone, I thought, needed to bridge the communication gap between those outside the special needs community and those in it. Eventually, I realized that somebody might be me. My memories of parenting our son were still vivid. Now that he was a healthy, independent adult, I had time to research and write a book that laid out the basics for parents and members of their wannabe support systems. With that realization, the idea for Different Dream Parenting: A Practical Guide for Raising Child with Special Needs was born.

A few of the basics components of an effective support system for parents are listed below. They were compiled from interviews with over seventy-five families and special needs professionals conducted during the writing of Different Dream Parenting:

  • Caring for kids with special needs is very isolating. Anything friends, neighbors, and church family can do to break the isolation is greatly appreciated.
  • Little things mean a lot. A card, a Facebook message, an email, a plate of cookies, and a sit down chat can make a big difference to families engrossed with care giving.
  • Families should make a list of specific volunteer jobs and hand it to people who say, “If there’s anything you need, let me know.” Tailor the list to your circumstances, including items like: take typical siblings to ball practice, church clubs, school; pick up the grocery list and money, then do the shopping; mow the lawn once a week; etc.
  • Volunteers should offer specific, practical ways to help: I’ll strip your beds, do the laundry and remake them every Tuesday; I will babysit every Thursday afternoon so you can go to the store; I’ll pick up the kids for Sunday school; etc.
  • Parents of kids with special needs wrestle with guilt and grief. They need support for a long time. Not just days and weeks and months. Think in terms of years and decades.
  • Families need to be lifted up in prayer. Use the prayer guides in Different Dream Parenting provide ways for families to pray and for others to pray for them. Or send a monthly email asking the family how you can pray for them.

As I interviewed parents and compiled their stories, one thing became very clear. The families who coped most successfully were those who had gone from viewing their children’s special needs as burdens to seeing them as blessings. The basics of an effective support system can help lift a family’s burdens and be an integral part of that necessary transformation.

That’s a good enough reason for me to get back to the basics. How about you?

Jolene Philo is the author of Different Dream Parenting: A Practical Guide to Raising a Child with Special Needs and A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children. Her blog, www.DifferentDream.com, highlights resources for parents of kids with special needs. She speaks at regional and national parenting and special needs ministry conferences. She and her husband live in Boone, Iowa and have two married children.

Jolene will be joining more than twenty-five leaders in children’s ministry and disability ministry on November 3rd-5th for a FREE Special Needs Ministry Web Summit to connect church staff, volunteers, family members and caregivers everywhere. That’s Inclusion Fusion, featuring Keynote Speaker Chuck Swindoll. Register here  for the Summit! 

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Inclusion Fusion Speakers…The Swindoll Family

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Dr. G

When our team had the opportunity to visit Insight For Living to film Chuck’s Swindoll’s keynote presentation, I was most impressed by Chuck’s family.

I’ve certainly struggled with maintaining an appropriate sense of balance between work, family and spiritual priorities…a struggle I share with many busy parents in our culture. For someone as accomplished as Chuck…prolific author and teacher, senior pastor, former seminary president…I would have expected some balls to have dropped somewhere with all the roles he and his wife, Cynthia have had to juggle.

We had the opportunity to meet Chuck, his wife, his daughter (Colleen) and four of their grandchildren…Ashley, Austin, Cody and Jonathan. When you have the opportunity to meet them through their presentations for Inclusion Fusion, you’ll see that Cynthia and Chuck have very faithfully pursued their role as spiritual leaders in their family…their influence is obvious.

You’ll meet Colleen (Chuck’s daughter) through interviews she did with Katie Wetherbee, both with and without her father.  Colleen Swindoll-Thompson serves as the director of Special Needs/Disability Ministry at Insight for Living. She is a graduate of Trinity University with a degree in communication and a double-minor in psychology and education; she continues to pursue a master’s degree at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Colleen is the mother of three children; each child has their own set of challenges. Colleen’s third child, Jonathan is now 14 years old has been diagnosed with autism. Jonathan experiences intellectual, speech, language, motor impairments and anxiety associated with his autism spectrum disorder. Jonathan has also been diagnosed with Tourette’s Disorder, traumatic brain injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Through God’s unconditional faithfulness to Colleen, her story offers hope and comfort, grace and guidance to those enduring painful life challenges.

Colleen will be sharing on the topic… Challenges: What’s Your Perspective? 

Parents may easy believe life is difficult because of caregiving or disability related issues. Colleen plans to discuss how God, in His perfect character uses disabilities and challenges for specific purposes.

Colleen asked her adult children to speak on the challenges siblings experience when a brother or sister experiences a disability. Siblings are often forgotten, judged, misunderstood, and suffer many challenges. Colleen’s children (ages 20, 19, and 18) share their experiences-to awaken and encourage us all to be attentive to their needs. Their presentation, Does Anyone See Me? Attending to the Silent Sufferers (an interview facilitated by Katie) is a remarkable resource for families and churches everywhere.

Colleen and her husband, Toban, live in Frisco, Texas with their 5 children (blended) and their 3 dogs.

Colleen, Ashley, Austin and Cody will be joining more than twenty-five leaders in children’s ministry and disability ministry on November 3rd-5th for a FREE Special Needs Ministry Web Summit to connect church staff, volunteers, family members and caregivers everywhere. That’s Inclusion Fusion, featuring Keynote Speaker Chuck Swindoll. Register here  for the Summit! 

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Guest Post: Barb Dittrich Hosting Inclusion Fusion Tweetchat

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Dr. G

Barb Dittrich has graciously agreed to serve as hostess for this year’s Inclusion Fusion Tweetchat, scheduled for Thursday, November 3 at 8:30 PM Eastern Time. You’ll have the opportunity to connect and share ideas with many of our Special Needs Ministry Web Summit speakers.

What’s a Tweetchat you ask? Barb is happy to explain the process…

Like to connect with others?  Ask questions and get immediate answers?  Find new, helpful links on the web?  Then TweetChat is for YOU!

While it may seem daunting to those unfamiliar, this real-time group conversation is a fabulous, easy tool.  Here’s how it works.  First, you must have a Twitter account established.  If you don’t already have one, simply go to http://Twitter.com and set your account up at no cost.  Once you have your Twitter account set up, you are ready to go to your preferred chat  (in our case, #spnmin Chat) at the designated time.  To attend the chat,  simply go to http://tweetchat.com/room/spnmin.  You will be prompted through an easy three-step process.

  1. When you click “Sign In”, you will then be asked to “Authorize an Application” through your Twitter account.  To attend, you will have to click the blue “Authorize App” button.
  2. Once you have done so, merely type in the “Hashtag” or name of your chat that you wish to attend at the top of the page, and click go.  In our case, type in SpnMin.  Now you’re in the chat room!  But you’re not finished yet.
  3. To keep most current with the conversation, go to the upper left hand side of the screen and click on “Refresh Speed”.  Slide the tab down to 5 seconds.  This will keep you up-to-date with the scrolling conversation.  Remember, just like on Twitter, you are limited to only so many spaces for your comments…in this case 132.  You do not need to write in #SpnMin after every post.  Merely being in the chat room will add that to each of your posts.

Of course, if this is too complicated for you, a person can always follow the conversation on regular Twitter by typing in that #SpnMin in your searches.  This will avail you of much of the conversation.  However, there is nothing like being in that TweetChat room with the live, scrolling conversation that you need not continually refresh.  The discussions with people who share a common passion or interest from anywhere in the world is truly amazing!

I pray that you find this information helpful to you!  I encourage you to try this out prior to the chat on November 3rd, 8:30 PM, EST.  We look forward to chatting with you and all of the participants in the Inclusion Fusion Pajama Conference!  And feel free to join us every Thursday evening at 8:30 PM EST for conversation regarding special needs and faith.  This is definitely a mission field worth discussing!

Barb will be joining more than twenty-five leaders in children’s ministry and disability ministry on November 3rd-5th for a FREE Special Needs Ministry Web Summit to connect church staff, volunteers, family members and caregivers everywhere. That’s Inclusion Fusion, featuring Keynote Speaker Chuck Swindoll. Register here  for the Summit! 

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Inclusion Fusion Speakers…Jeremy Collins

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Dr. G

Without Jeremy Collins, we wouldn’t be able to put on a conference like Inclusion Fusion.

Jeremy serves of the Children’s Pastor and Media Director at Bethel Harvest Church in Nicholasville, KY. In Jeremy’s spare time, he launched a website, Pajama Conference, to provide ministry education for free or at a very low cost. Pajama Conference was founded upon the belief that education shouldn’t have hours of operation or believe that you should have to spend a lot of money on travel and hotels to go to a conference to learn what you can in your pajamas. Several members of our team had an opportunity to participate in this year’s Children’s Ministry Websummit, saw the potential Jeremy’s technology presented for equipping churches to serve families of kids with disabilities and Inclusion Fusion was born.

This past July, I was attending the CMX Expo and saw Jeremy present a talk on uses of social media in children’s ministry that was one of the best presentations I’ve attended this year. Following that presentation, we invited Jeremy to present on the topic Using Social Media in Special Needs Ministry – In today’s age of technology social media plays a huge role in almost everyone’s lives.  In Jeremy’s message, he goes into detail on how you can use the power of social media to boost the exposure of your special needs ministry.

Jeremy is a native of Kentucky, known as a technology guru in many circles.  At age 16 Jeremy was programming his own computer games and trying to find ways to hack into programs.  After college, Jeremy found himself working in retail sales until God had better plans for him. In addition to his work at Bethel Harvest Church, Jeremy launched Bethel House Media, and more recently, KidminCoaching, to provide video training to children’s pastors and ministry leaders everywhere.

By the way, today is Jeremy’s birthday. Wish him a Happy Birthday on Facebook!

Jeremy will be joining more than twenty leaders in children’s ministry and disability ministry on November 3rd-5th to put on a FREE Special Needs Ministry Web Summit to connect church staff, volunteers, family members and caregivers everywhere. That’s Inclusion Fusion, featuring Keynote Speaker Chuck Swindoll. Register here  for the Summit! 

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Inclusion Fusion Speakers…Marie Kuck

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Dr. G

I met Marie Kuck for the first time five or so years ago at the McLean Bible Church Accessibility Summit. She’s probably not aware of how instrumental she was in the development of our current Key Ministry team. She interviewed me for a video she was composing for her ministry. While I was waiting to be filmed, I sat in while Marie interviewed another ministry leader who impressed me greatly while sharing her story of how God used her struggles in high school to sensitize her to the needs of persons with disabilities…Harmony Hensley. I’m very pleased that Marie has accepted our invitation to speak at Inclusion Fusion. Her topic will be: Launch your Special Needs Ministry with a Respite Program! It Works!!! Don’t Send Kids with Special Needs Away!  Get Equipped!

In Marie’s talk, viewers will learn how their church can “be a Buddy” and offer a practical and fun outreach that reaches out to kids with special needs, gives parents a break and trains volunteers lacking experience with kids with special needs. Find out how you can join the Buddy Break network that is gaining momentum across the nation. Build it and they will come!

Marie is Co-Founder of Nathaniel’s Hope, a nationally growing ministry dedicated to sharing hope and encouragement with kids with special needs (VIP Kids) and their families as well as educating and equipping the community, especially local churches with training and programs to reach out and “be a buddy” and minister to these families. Nathaniel’s Hope was birthed after the life and death of the Kuck’s son Nathaniel, who was born with multiple special needs. In 2001, at the age of 4 1/2 Nathaniel unexpectedly had a change of address from Earth to Heaven. It was after this that the Kucks responded to the call and started Nathaniel’s Hope.

Nathaniel’s Hope has developed many programs to assist families, including a  growing respite program called Buddy Break. Buddy Break is a free kids/respite program done in partnership with local churches that provides a free “break” for caregivers of kids with special needs.  The Kucks hope is to build a national network of 1,000 churches to support VIP families with respite care.  Other programs offered by Nathaniel’s Hope include Caroling for Kids, a National VIP Birthday Club, Keep ‘m Smiling, Hall of Hope, and an Online Resource Center.  On June 5th, Nathaniel’s Hope hosted their 9th annual Make ‘m Smile festival at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando to honor and celebrate VIP kids, hosting over 10,000 people…including 1,500 VIP kids!

Marie currently serves as Executive Director of Nathaniel’s Hope.  As an ordained minister, Marie worked in youth ministry for over 10 years serving on church staffs in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Orlando. She is a graduate of Wheaton College, has taught in the Department of Communications at North Central University (formerly North Central Bible College) and co-hosted “Today’s Family” a local Christian television talk show in Orlando.  Marie considers herself to be a “Mom on a Mission.”

Marie and her husband Tim have been married for 22 years and have 3 children, Brianna (19), Ashley (17) and Nathaniel (4 1/2, in heaven).  They reside in Orlando, Florida.

Marie will be joining more than twenty leaders in children’s ministry and disability ministry on November 3rd-5th to put on a FREE Special Needs Ministry Web Summit to connect church staff, volunteers, family members and caregivers everywhere. That’s Inclusion Fusion, featuring Keynote Speaker Chuck Swindoll. Register here for the Summit! 

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Guest Blog…Inclusion Fusion Speaker Amy Dolan

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Dr. G

We’re honored to have one of the most respected leaders in the world of children’s ministry joining us for Inclusion Fusion. Amy Dolan has served the Curriculum Writer and Programmer for Promiseland at Willow Creek Church, and served in the position of Executive Director of Children’s Ministries for the Willow Creek Association. She is currently serving as Founder, Leader, and Blogger of Lemon Lime Kids – a Children’s Ministry Consulting Company. Director of What Matters Now, and Curriculum Writer for What’s In the Bible?

Amy has been extraordinarily gracious to our ministry team as we’ve sought to build relationships within the children’s ministry community. She’s taking over the blog today to preview her presentation for Inclusion Fusion on Customizing Your Curriculum for children with special needs.

Customizing Curriculum {Step 1}

Thank you, Steve for the opportunity to guest blog today. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you and your ministry, and to be included in the first annual Inclusion Fusion Conference!

During Inclusion Fusion, I’ll be discussing how to customize your curriculum so that it’s just right for every child in your ministry.  I’m a curriculum writer (my current project is What’s in the Bible?) and strongly believe that my job is to create a lesson foundation, or a starting place so that children’s leaders can have the best possible lesson for their unique group of kids. Church leaders are the experts within their specific context, they know their kids best, so if I create lessons that can be customized then each leader can tweak the activities, theologies, and language to make it perfect!

The first step in customizing curriculum is knowing your kids. This sounds simple enough, but I’m consistently surprised to find church leaders who don’t know how their children learn best, or the specific needs of their children. Spend time observing your children, and asking great follow-up questions to both children and parents. Observe times when your children are quiet or talking (both can be signs of learning), and follow up by asking the children “What were you thinking about during the lesson?” Ask parents, “What did your child say about the lesson on the drive home from church?” As you observe and ask follow up questions, make notes about patterns or one-time-occasions that you’ve seen. Regularly, review your notes and implement tweaks to your curriculum in order to reach each child.

Also, an important note while observing your children: God made every child unique! It’s important not to make assumptions about every child. Spend time getting to know each child as a special and un-repeatable creation.

Blessings as you prepare your next lesson, may God grant you wisdom, creativity, and insight on how to make it great for your specific children. And, don’t forget to join us November 3-5 for Inclusion Fusion where we’ll continue the conversation on customizing curriculum!

Amy Dolan is Leader, Founder, and Blogger at Lemon Lime Kids, a Children’s Ministry Consulting Company (www.lemonlimekids.com). Amy also serves as the Director of the innovative project What Matters Now in Children’s Ministry (www.cmwhatmatters.com) and Director of Curriculum Strategy for What’s in the Bible? (www.whatsinthebible.com). Amy lives in Chicago with her husband Kelly.

Amy will be joining more than twenty leaders in children’s ministry and disability ministry on November 3rd-5th to put on a FREE Special Needs Ministry Web Summit to connect church staff, volunteers, family members and caregivers everywhere. That’s Inclusion Fusion, featuring Keynote Speaker Chuck Swindoll. Register here for the Summit! 

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Inclusion Fusion Speakers…Barb Dittrich

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Dr. G

Barb Dittrich is a valued colleague and friend of our team at Key Ministry. She’s been very helpful in her service on our Program Committee for Inclusion Fusion and we’ve been very pleased to see God opening doors for the ministry she leads in Wisconsin (Snappin’ Ministries) as they collaborate on building Zachariah’s Acres, a Christian respite facility and campus for children with special needs and their families. Barb will be joining us as a speaker for Inclusion Fusion, addressing the topic Bathing In The Healing of Forgiveness.

The lack of forgiveness causes more stress and tension in our lives than we consciously realize. And when it comes to parenting a child with special needs, there is a great need to forgive and be forgiven! In Barb’s presentation, she’ll identify the areas that need that healing power of forgiveness, and learn how to bathe in its peace.

Barb is the Executive Director and Foundress of SNAPPIN’ MINISTRIES (Special Needs Parents Network). The mother of three children, two of whom have a variety of disorders, Barb has served the disability community since 2002. The organization she leads was one of three finalists for WORLD MAGAZINE’S Hope Award for Effective Compassion in October of 2009, and was awarded a $5,000 gift towards their work in conjunction with the American Bible Society. Besides being a regular speaker at camps and seminars, Barb has been featured on BlogTalk Radio, Toginet Radio, Trinity Broadcast Network and other media venues.

Barb will also be facilitating a “Tweet Chat” on Thursday, November 3 at 8:30 PM Eastern, during which Inclusion Fusion participants will have the opportunity to interact with many of our speakers. More on that this weekend.

Barb will be joining more than twenty leaders in children’s ministry and disability ministry on November 3rd-5th to put on a FREE Special Needs Ministry Web Summit to connect church staff, volunteers, family members and caregivers everywhere. That’s Inclusion Fusion, featuring Keynote Speaker Chuck Swindoll. Register here for the Summit!


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Inclusion Fusion Update

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Dr. G

I had an opportunity to watch the final version of the video with Chuck Swindoll for Inclusion Fusion and I’ve either participated in or seen roughly half of the presentations for the Summit. This stuff is really good. I couldn’t be more grateful to the folks at Insight For Living or more proud of our team with Key Ministry. At this point, my single greatest concern is for our team to do everything we can to ensure that as many pastors, church leaders, volunteers and families as possible are able to benefit from the Web Summit.

We’re planning a “Tweet-Up” on Thursday, November 3rd at 8:30 PM Eastern, led by Barb Dittrich from Snappin’ Ministries (Special Needs Parent Network). Barb will be doing a guest blog later this week to explain how it’ll work, but a number of the conference speakers will be on line at once and you’ll be able to interact with the presenters and with one another live through your Twitter account. We’re also finalizing a schedule of times when conference speakers will be available in a “live chat” room during the three days of the conference.

Some of our speakers have been very generous with books and resources…we’ll have stuff to give away later this week and early next week for followers of this blog, Katie’s blog and the Key Ministry and Inclusion Fusion Facebook pages.

We still need your help! What can you do to help make Inclusion Fusion a success?

1. Pray! Please leave a message either on the Key Ministry or Inclusion Fusion Facebook pages…our team appreciates the encouragement. Let’s pray for something big…how about new or expanded special needs ministry initiatives in 1,000 churches leading to 10,000 kids and families connecting to local churches where they can come to know Jesus and decide to put their faith and trust in Him!

2. Help us get the word out. Let church leaders, volunteers and parents who might be interested in viewing some or all of the sessions know about the conference. When we do this type of FREE conference, there’s zero budget for marketing and promotion. Church leaders and parents of kids with special needs often have extensive networks of friends through Facebook or lots of followers on Twitter. We’d very much appreciate your willingness to send periodic reminders to your friends in church world or parents who might find some of the presentations useful. Feel free to “like” our Key Ministry page and copy us when you get the word out through Facebook. Please use the #inclusionfusion hashtag when sharing information about the conference with followers on Twitter.

3. One more thing…We would be very interested in speaking to anyone with interest in becoming a major sponsor of an online video training library that would be available to churches, church leaders, volunteers and parents everywhere with interest in ministry to persons with special needs and their families. This would be a multi-year project involving senior pastors, children’s and youth pastors, leaders from the disability ministry community and families. Interested parties may contact Rebecca Hamilton, our Executive Director at rebecca@keyministry.org.

Thanks for your interest and your prayers!

Our Key Ministry team will be joining leaders in children’s ministry and disability ministry on November 3rd-5th to put on a FREE Special Needs Ministry Web Summit to connect church staff, volunteers, family members and caregivers everywhere. That’s Inclusion Fusion, featuring Keynote Speaker Chuck Swindoll. Register here for the Summit!

 

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