Special needs ministry weekly round-up! {10-3-11}

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Our respite event went well on Saturday, and I'll be writing more about that this week. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! 

As another update, I have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday to figure out what we need to do next for my knee. Pain abounds, but God's grace abounds even more.

And on to the weekly round-up...

Nella Uitvlugt, director of Friendship Ministries, has been instrumental in paving the way for not only the acceptance but also the inclusion of people with disabilities in the church. I've never interacted with her personally, but this profile of her, published by the Grand Rapids Press, makes me want to do so.

On a similar note, I've never met Emily Colson, and while Dancing with Max is on my "to read" list, I haven't gotten around to it yet. This post by Jeneil at Rhema's Hope, though, makes me want to. Plus it shows how God orchestrates connections among us for his glory and our good.

I linked to a previous post in this series last week, and here's another post from Dr. Steve Grcevich with some great tips for dealing with aggressive behaviors in children's ministry.

One of Kevin DeYoung's articles on The Gospel Coalition, Some Thoughts on Ministering to the Sick and Dying, wasn't written specifically for special needs, but some disabilities do include sickness and some parallels can be found between his topic and that of ministering to a family with a new diagnosis because those families may be experiencing the death of some of the dreams they had for their child.

I think you'll find this interesting, from Christianity Today, thoughts on how and if the church should try to minimize distractions.

Wonder where the kids with special needs go at your church in the fall and winter? This post from Parker's momma about what happens when Parker gets sick might help you understand why disability ministry attendance may drop at this time of year.

Nothing like the Church: This article on Ligonier Ministries website reminds us why the church matters and why it's just not okay to exclude people with special needs in hopes that they will find their own connection with Christ away from church.
Why, Yes! Families of Kids with Special Needs Can Be Happy: Great post by one of my favorite special needs momma bloggers, Ellen.

The Average Christian's Letter to the Hurting: People with disabilities aren't the only ones who are often overlooked at church. People in all demographics are hurting; do we respond with the love Christ first showed us, or do we respond with the letter in this post?

Churches doing special needs ministry in the news this week include...
Keep praying for more churches to demonstrate that the gospel is great enough to surpass our boundaries of ability or disability. In a story about sports for youth with disabilities, I found these paragraphs (emphasis mine):
It was especially meaningful for Margaret since her son, Hunter Heath, was born with Fragile X syndrome, a genetic condition that is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability in boys and a leading cause of autism.
Hunter, who is now 16, has the cognitive ability of a 3-year-old. He is unable to effectively communicate or participate in extracurricular activities outside his special education classes at school.
“Buddy Ball was exciting because it brought a sense of normalcy to our family,’’ Margaret said. “We are pretty much confined, like prisoners in our own home. We’ve even been asked to leave some churches because we were told there was nothing they could offer Hunter. This was a chance for him to get out and participate in something with other children.’’
Pray that Hunter and others would have a place in your church.