Special needs ministry weekly round-up! {9/19/11}
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Before I dive into the links this week, I have a prayer request to share with you. I'll be talking with some of my specialists today to figure out what's happening with my knees. I think it's a fairly sudden flare of rheumatoid arthritis, possibly related to the shift in weather this week, but I've never had a flare this severe come on this quickly before and the weather has never affected my arthritis before either. I think we'll need a couple weeks of a drug I hate/love, and we might need to add some physical therapy into the mix too. Please pray that this will not interfere with the planning and execution of our October 1st respite care event!
And now to this week's links...
This isn't related to special needs ministry, but my senior pastor has started a new blog: Equipped for Life I am blessed to work alongside godly men and women who lead our ministries.
Special needs ministry isn't just about the person with a disability. It's about family ministry. Here's a great post I meant to include in the round-up last week: 6 Ways to Support a Sister of a Child with Autism
I've blogged occasionally about adoption and will continue to do so. For starters, rates of disability are higher among kids who have been adopted. Beyond that, special needs and adoption have other overlaps as well; both change families, both include people who are often left out on the margins of church and community, and both give us the opportunity as a church to put our faith into practice. In this post, Jen honestly writes about life as an adoptive family ... not just in the beginning, but after the airport. Where are we then, after the airport or after the diagnosis?
What do we know about kids at risk of behaving aggressively? This is part of a fantastic series of posts by Dr. Steve Grcevich, who is the president of Key Ministry and a physician specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry. His closing comments are something all of us need to consider:
One of the ways disability ministry can display the works of God is that it shows what we're for. When polls and books like unChristian highlight that we're often viewed by what we oppose, it's refreshing to see posts like this one. He writes, in response to a video clip of Mike Huckabee on Fox talking with Emily and Chuck Colson about her son and his grandson Max who has autism,
Finally, Joni & Friends held a Through the Roof conference this past weekend, equipping church leaders to engage in disability ministry. Join me in praying for all those who attended and who return to their churches this week to put some of what they learned into practice.
And now to this week's links...
This isn't related to special needs ministry, but my senior pastor has started a new blog: Equipped for Life I am blessed to work alongside godly men and women who lead our ministries.
Special needs ministry isn't just about the person with a disability. It's about family ministry. Here's a great post I meant to include in the round-up last week: 6 Ways to Support a Sister of a Child with Autism
I've blogged occasionally about adoption and will continue to do so. For starters, rates of disability are higher among kids who have been adopted. Beyond that, special needs and adoption have other overlaps as well; both change families, both include people who are often left out on the margins of church and community, and both give us the opportunity as a church to put our faith into practice. In this post, Jen honestly writes about life as an adoptive family ... not just in the beginning, but after the airport. Where are we then, after the airport or after the diagnosis?
What do we know about kids at risk of behaving aggressively? This is part of a fantastic series of posts by Dr. Steve Grcevich, who is the president of Key Ministry and a physician specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry. His closing comments are something all of us need to consider:
Yes, they do.The most important take home point is that there’s a pretty good chance kids who struggle with aggressive behavior at church have some condition that predisposes them to act that way or have been victims of such behavior themselves.
They sound like kids who could certainly benefit from the opportunity to experience the love of Christ through a local church, don’t they?
One of the ways disability ministry can display the works of God is that it shows what we're for. When polls and books like unChristian highlight that we're often viewed by what we oppose, it's refreshing to see posts like this one. He writes, in response to a video clip of Mike Huckabee on Fox talking with Emily and Chuck Colson about her son and his grandson Max who has autism,
Although I am not a fan of religion in general, I love the commitment to family and to love beyond oneself that faith often awakens in others. This segment from Mike Huckabee's show on Fox News demonstrates how Christian values can open up a deeper and more meaningful conversation about people with autism than what we usually see on TV.Time and time again, I've seen disability ministry catch the attention of secular groups or media. Let's be a church characterized by radical love for others, such that those who admit "not [to be] a fan of religion in general" commend what we're doing!
These definitions of the fruit of the Spirit by Tim Keller - the definition, opposites, and counterfeits - are useful for how we can minister and live as believers. (Thanks, Kim, for the heads up on this one!)
This article ran in The Salt Lake Times this week: Churches must welcome special-needs children It raises some good points, but I'm a little perturbed by the headline: special needs ministry is not just a children's ministry thing. Our Joy Class had a party this weekend in which adults with disabilities were celebrated as part of our church body as well. My role in our church is focused more on children's and student ministries while another volunteer, Katie, and her team do an excellent job serving alongside adults with disabilities. It's illogical to welcome kids with special needs if you plan to exclude them once they grow up.
And now, a couple of churches doing it well:
This article ran in The Salt Lake Times this week: Churches must welcome special-needs children It raises some good points, but I'm a little perturbed by the headline: special needs ministry is not just a children's ministry thing. Our Joy Class had a party this weekend in which adults with disabilities were celebrated as part of our church body as well. My role in our church is focused more on children's and student ministries while another volunteer, Katie, and her team do an excellent job serving alongside adults with disabilities. It's illogical to welcome kids with special needs if you plan to exclude them once they grow up.
And now, a couple of churches doing it well:
- a church hosting support groups for siblings of children with special needs
- a church beginning a worship service that is welcoming to people with disabilities
Finally, Joni & Friends held a Through the Roof conference this past weekend, equipping church leaders to engage in disability ministry. Join me in praying for all those who attended and who return to their churches this week to put some of what they learned into practice.