You don't have to be an expert; just be willing to do something

/
A couple weeks ago in Beijing, a two-year-old girl named Wang Yue and nicknamed Yueyue was "crushed by two vans...and then ignored by 18 passersby as lay bleeding on the street." She died on October 21 of organ failure as a result.

A similar case from New York City in 1964 is used as a case study in psychology courses. Kitty Genovese was murdered, and while neighbors either heard or saw her as she was stabbed, no one called the police.

Those 18 people who passed by Yueyue as she lay bleeding in the street and the neighbors of Kitty who heard her screams and saw her murder didn't have to fix it. They didn't have to perform surgery to save them. They didn't need any special expertise to help those who were bleeding.

They just needed to do something instead of walking away.

You don't have to know all of the answers either in order to welcome people with disabilities into your church. You just have to do something.

Resolve that you won't turn people with disabilities away if they come to your church and that your church won't be a stumbling block to those who need a place in God's community of believers.


~+~
If you haven't joined us already, come visit me and 20+ other speakers at inclusionfusion.org, a free webconference on special needs ministry! And, due to the technical glitches due to high demand yesterday, it has been extended through MONDAY. (And, don't worry, the glitches are fixed now!)

what does it mean to INCLUDE people with disabilities?

/
One of the points I bring up in my Inclusion Fusion session (which started TODAY, so CHECK IT OUT!), Common Misconceptions in Special Needs Ministry, is that it's not too hard, nor is it easy. It's worth it.

To help demystify this whole idea of inclusion, let's see what our friend Elmo has to teach us about the word "include." (Nope, not kidding. I have two little blessings around the house, a two-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. Sesame Street happens around here.)



See? It's not complicated. It's just a willingness to invite others to join us. It's a commitment to be churches rather than Christianized country clubs. 

Granted, Elmo amd Mila were include for moralistic reasons - you know, the whole "it's the right thing to do" rationale. As believers, we have a better reason. God sent his one and only son to earth, and Christ lived the perfect life we could not live, died the sinner's death we deserve, and rose from the dead that we might live with him forever. As a result, you and I are invited into the family of God... or, you could say, included in God's family. To be redeemed by Christ and to be adopted as sons and daughters by God to share in the inheritance of Christ, that is the ultimate inclusion.

We don't seek inclusion for all people because it's the right thing to do. Just as we love because he first loved us, we include because he first included us.

It's not too hard. And it's not easy. But it is worth it, and it is right.

because I serve in disability ministry, I know

/
That the “emergency” button on the elevator just calls to the front desk, not straight to any emergency departments. (I do understand the button has to be low in case someone falls, but still. Not easy when we have fast kiddos who love buttons and are working on impulse control.)

That disability is mentioned in 40 of the 66 books of the Bible.

That our team consists of amazing volunteers who I hadn’t met until I began coordinating our ministry and probably wouldn’t have met otherwise – for each of them, I am blessed.

That carpet cleaner isn’t easy to find in the church, especially right after a child vomits.

That you can’t trust the quality of walkie talkies that no one has used at the church in more than a year. They won’t work.

That even when the walkie talkies work, I’ll forget I have one and choose to text or yell down the hall, much to our intern’s disapproval. (Sorry, Kelsey!)

That we don’t have outlet covers in some of our classroom. (Working on that one!)

That God’s design for each person is good and glorious, even when it isn’t always clear to us.

That one South Park episode is about the exclusion of Timmy, who I think is supposed to have cerebral palsy, from the church. (If you're wondering, it's season 4, episode 9, titled "Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?")

That our elementary children’s ministry director is a better shot than any of our team’s pastors, if I recall correctly. (Yes, our last family discipleship team summit included guns. We’re in the South. It happens.)

That there are other folks around the country who are just as passionate about this as I am.

That there are more churches who haven’t yet realized that their church is inaccessible to many adults and families.

That God is moving within his body in great ways.

To tap into the knowledge of some of those other folks who are just as passionate as I am, join me for the Inclusion Fusion websummit on special needs ministry, starting TOMORROW. Register and check out the speakers and find out when you can join us for live chats and learn about the Twitter chat by clicking on any of those links!

disability ministry round-up {10-31-11}

/
As one raised in the Lutheran denomination, I must begin with this: Happy Reformation Day! On this day in 1517, Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg.

And Happy Halloween! If you have little ones (or if you're a big one getting decked out) and celebrate, I would love to know your costumes. With my present health issues, I am keeping it low-key for me this year, but Robbie is a dinosaur and Jocelyn is a butterfly. And, in very exciting news, my knee is healing well enough that I've been cleared to accompany the crew trick-or-treating!

On that note, though, here's a great article from Jo Ashline: Why holidays are different for this special needs mom.

I love what Joni & Friends does here in the US, but I am even more encouraged by their missions trips overseas, like this one in which mobility and communication were provided for a precious child named Genecis.

Yesterday was Disability Sunday for most Anglican churches in Sydney, Australia. Read about it here.

In this story from ChosenFamilies.org, Joan tells how the story of Lazarus' death gave her permission to cry.

This article from the SC Baptist Convention is a great reminder that disability ministry isn't limited to children: Ministry opportunities exist to special needs adults in South Carolina

Churches and ministries paving the way for the rest of us in special needs inclusion:
And, finally, here's the speaker list for the Inclusion Fusion websummit on special needs ministry - THIS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY! Check out the speakers and topics here, and register here.